Retiring the space shuttle program and then having Elon fvcking Musk become the """"public"""" face of space travel is one of the grossest things in modern history and I cannot emphasize this enough

I know there were legitimate reasons for the shuttles to be retired. I'm not disputing that

But having a fvcking billionaire--one individual--take over as the way the public interacts with space is a tragedy idk if we've begun to comprehending

I think about this a lot

And I'm not claiming NASA is a perfect organization, or that we can even separate the shuttle program from the US government's militaristic obsession

But just....receding until only billionaires become visible, only billionaires shape the narrative?

With nationalization there's at least room for policy reform. There's a chance for it to be remade, to be better.

That chance--slim as it is--disappears utterly when it's one man and his disgusting wealth

Relying on the moral whims and private values of an individual with more power than any individual should EVER be vested with is, in some ways, its own Armageddon.

I guess I'm thinking about this because of the 18th anniversary of the Columbia and idk.

It's sad. And it's enraging

And I know I'm not saying anything new or different or original, and that ppl much smarter than me have already made this point but I guess it's something we should keep talking about.

So I know it's not much but I do try and make things better in my small corner of the world by rescuing abandoned/unwanted/sick/injured cats. If you'd like to help, that'd be amazing https://twitter.com/ellle_em/status/1309999500992405504?s=20