How many people in the 1980s-2000s only supported NASA because the "Space Shuttle"?

[CmdrShep2183]

How much of the of the American public in the 1980s-2000s only supported the NASA because they thought the "Space Shuttle" looked cool?



And what would it take to get people excited for space again?

[Arutema]

As a kid, one my first memories ever was watching Challenger explode on the evening news. I don't think I ever got all that excited over the shuttle program.

I think my enthusiasm for space exploration growing up had more to do with the utopian vision of Star Trek: TNG, and later the epic space battles of Babylon 5.

As an adult, I'm still sometimes in awe at the deep space images from Hubble, or the photos of Mars sent back by Spirit and Opportunity.

Sprit and Opportunity also pose a perhaps uncomfortable point about manned space travel; robots are getting so good at the space exploration job that it becomes increasingly less justified to risk human lives at it.

[Imbalance]

I never really thought that it looked cool. I decided that it is cool the more I learned about the tech, but, to me, the design of the shuttle craft itself always looked kinda dumb, aesthetically, even after I understood why the design favored that shape.

[Batcathat]

I never really thought that it looked cool. I decided that it is cool the more I learned about the tech, but, to me, the design of the shuttle craft itself always looked kinda dumb, aesthetically, even after I understood why the design favored that shape.

I agree, I've always thought it just looked like some kind of deformed airplane. I guess science fiction might've given me unrealistic expectations about what a cool spaceship should look like.

[TemporalTravels]

Back in the day, the concept of space exploration was cool because it was dangerous and filled with the unknown. Now that we've planted a few rovers on another planet and an orbiting station, we've entered into the grind phase. We have to grow crops in zero G, figure out O2 generation, if we can use indigenous materials to 3D print... in the age of TikTok, everyone wants to take selfies on the colony ship, but how many of them will want to man the shovel and an axe to build the house once they're there?

[Telok]

Back in the day, the concept of space exploration was cool because it was dangerous and filled with the unknown. Now that we've planted a few rovers on another planet and an orbiting station, we've entered into the grind phase. We have to grow crops in zero G, figure out O2 generation, if we can use indigenous materials to 3D print... in the age of TikTok, everyone wants to take selfies on the colony ship, but how many of them will want to man the shovel and an axe to build the house once they're there?

I'm down for manning the giant concrete (or whatever substitute) 3d printer to print rows of habs on Mars. Or a big tunnel miner on the Moon, since underground is possibly better in places without Earth's EM shield.

Rando side note, ordered (& about 10% overpaid since its pay-what-you-want) the Apollo 47 rpg book. Waiting for delivery in 2-4 months since parts of the Notrh America continent are "overseas shipping" and anything but book rate cost more than what I paid for the book.