Artist's conception of the Dream Chaser commercial human space transportation vehicle docked to the International Space Station. Image courtesy Sierra Nevada Space Systems.
of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and Vice President Mike Pence. Plus... My son Cliff. Cliff wasn’t, per se, speaking at the Space Symposium, but he did speak to many of its luminaries. I brought Cliff to the Symposium because I want him to become a more worthwhile person than I am, though I suspect he already is. His thoughts are more worthwhile. Standing and staring millions of miles into the cosmos through the telescopes outside The Broadmoor makes me think what a small and insignificant person I am. Staring millions of miles into the cosmos makes Cliff think what a big and magnificent universe it is. Elsewhere is this issue I’ve made fun (quite fairly) of my education and also made fun (not so fairly) of the education my kids are getting.
But I really don’t worry about Cliff’s education. I worry about his motivations, his admirations, and his understandings of the many things there are to be educated about. And I seem to have found a way to put my worries to rest. I blasted my son into outer space. Of course, we’ve all been tempted to do that with our kids. But I did it to Cliff because he was being good . He’s always been polite and amiable, and has a knack for talking to people. A knack which can be summed up in one word – “listening.” Cliff listens to people. Because he’s presentable in adult company I can present him to adults who exemplify motivation, are worthy of admiration, and understand understanding. The most motivated and admirable people I know, who understand the most amazing things, are the people who explore space. And I’ve been able to introduce Cliff to them because I’m a member of the Space Foundation board of directors.
92 May 2018
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