Unfortunately, this episode is not a science fiction tale. It is just another symptom. We humans really are this bizarre. We'd rather spend our time and money spying on one another than on advancing science (minus war and spying apparatuses), medicine, education and the arts.
How we reached this strange state of being, this unique form of global madness, might be a productive place to begin an open debate with the goal of freeing ourselves from such globally mad behavior. It's true. In our present mental state, it's mesmerizing to stand around, or sit around tables or on couches, and watch the trajectory without asking how it colors and shapes our daily lives. We should always be looking for the damage, the potential, the loss in the decisions others make for us. This new kind of transparency appears to be replacing our critical questioning. It appears to provide the answers so we don't question. We forget that when the lights of the fireworks disappear, it's the end of the show. How untrue about spy rockets and satellites. The show goes on unseen to influence not just our everyday lives but the unconscious in multiple ways. Oddly, these transparent and momentary glimpses of the tiny edges or small parts of the whole are paraded as acts of liberty and celebration.
Below is the story from the Guardian.
A Boeing Delta 4 rocket flies from Vandenberg Air Force Base over California in 2006. Photograph: Len Wood/AP
A massive rocket carrying a spy satellite for the US government launched from the central California coast on Wednesday.
The Delta IV Heavy rocket soared off the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, and sped toward low-Earth orbit, officials at United Launch Alliance said.
The rocket carried a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees the nation's constellation of intelligence-gatheringsatellites. Liftoff occurred at 11:03am PDT, about 10 minutes later than planned as engineers dealt with some last-minute minor issues.
Since the mission is classified, no other details were available.
At 23 stories, the Delta IV Heavy is the largest rocket in the country. The last time it launched from Vandenberg – in 2011 – the roar of the engines shook the nearby city of Lompoc. Some people reported hearing the engine roar from 50 miles away.
This time around, the three main engines were ignited one after another to lessen the impact during liftoff.
Air Force security and police closed a nearby beach and evacuated campers as a precaution. About 200 cars lined the access road to the base and spectators gathered at other viewing spots for a glimpse of the rocket cruising through the cloudless sky.
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