Dear Crabby, What Do You Think of the Space Force?

Dear Crabby,

I love anything related to space, so I was excited to hear President Trump’s plans to get us back out there. What do you think of the proposed Space Force?

Thanks,
Starr Nuit

Dear Starr Nuit,

Well, I won’t lie. When I first heard the name I just assumed it was an announcement for a new movie franchise like Star Trek or Star Wars that my grandkids would try to dupe me into seeing. I was further confused when I saw the proposed logos since they looked like something you’d see at Disney. So, I thought maybe it was a new ride instead of a movie. Of course, once I was fully paying attention I learned that it is actually President Trump’s proposed military branch that would tackle space warfare. Who knew there were battles happening out in space? For those who were as uneducated as I was about ‘The Force,’ let me enlighten you with my newfound wisdom. The Space Force would be the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Sounds straightforward enough, right? Well, the part that has people scratching their heads is the U.S. Air Force kind of already handles this area. In fact, space defense is one of its core missions. They monitor space from natural and third-country threats, protect our military satellites, and I guess from whatever little green men are out there wanting to settle on our planet. Oh, and the Space Command has been around for over 35 years. Now there are some that think this is the best idea since sliced bread and agree with the president that we need to have a dominate presence in space. Then there are others like retired astronaut Mark Kelly, (not to be confused with his identical twin brother Scott Kelly who was also an astronaut) who called the idea ‘dumb.’ Kelly took to the Twitter (because that’s what we do these days) to remind people the Air Force has it handled. He also asked, “What’s next, we move submarines to the 7th branch and call it the “under-the-sea force?” Hmmm. If it will be anything like the Kirk Douglas’ adventures in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” maybe we should consider it.

Dear Crabby Gives Advice

I remember when going into space was a big deal. Of course, it was fueled (get it?) by a need to be the first country there and since it was during the Cold War era, to definitely get there before the Soviet Union. They would launch a satellite and then we would launch one. Then good old Ike signed a public order creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). And then Kennedy upped the ante by saying we’d put a man on the moon. The possibility of that was exciting. Before you know it, John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth and just a hop, skip, and a jump later, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon’s surface. Everyone was glued to their televisions when it happened. You almost had to pinch yourself that it really did happen. This, and the missions that came after are what comes to mind when I hear ‘space.’ It’s about a time in our country where folks dared to dream beyond the stars. I don’t get the same sense of awe and anticipation when I hear ‘Space Force.’ And all the top brass can line up on TV and talk until they’re blue in the face, but we all know what happened to that fella Icarus when he tried flying too close to the sun. So, as far as Space Force is concerned, I think it sounds better as a movie or ride at Disney. At least then we’d actually get to enjoy it.

To infinity and beyond!
Dear Crabby