As a ten-year-old in 1957, I remember the shock and dismay when the Russians beat us into space, with the successful launch of Sputnik. I remember the bipartisan American resolve to catch up. As a young officer in 1969, I remember the pride, watching an American walk on the moon. As I write this, the last space shuttle is on its way back to Earth, never to fly again.
As a young boy growing up at the Beach, I remember my fascination with the vastness and mystery of the sea. As a former geology major, I was not surprised to learn that the amount of undersea natural resources could far exceed the amount on land. I remember taking my first scuba-diving class at age thirteen. As I write this, the Chinese ship Jiaolong (named after the mythical sea-dragon in Chinese) is halfway between Hawaii and North America, preparing to dive 16,400 feet in search of undersea natural resources. According to The Wall Street Journal, this will "propel it(China) past the U.S."
Sometimes, I wish I could crawl on my belly all the way to Washington, just for the privilege of strangling every single decision-maker up there!!
