Fred R. Reenstjerna ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
: We have to face the essential fact that museums are perceived _by academic
: administrators_ as being as extnct/outdated as the fossils they often
display.
: This is a function of economics and the academic status game.  While a museum
: full of exotic materials was the 19th-century mark of arrival in the academic
: status game, it is worthless in the status game of late 20th century
academics.

Reading this post, I couldnt help noticing certain similarities with our
nation's space program. As many of us know, the Cold-War Space-Race had
more to do with political competition than the firery passion of
Humankind to explore; at least when it came to funding. Now that the
Cold-War is more-or-less over, NASA is forced to contend with a dwindling
budget. We might also note that the same thing happened earlier this
century with the NACA and an international Air-Race. The NACA was dying a
slow death as industry took on more and more of its function. Then, with
the start of the Cold-War, the NACA was promptly resurected and renamed
NASA.

I'm not sure if there is any strong correlation here, but I can imagine
how many people might see the financial decline of NASA as a social
statement about the value science (I'm sad to say). This affects the
politics of everyone's funding and makes the post-1980s financial
hangover more difficult to deal with.

                                        Just a few thoughts,
                                        Arthur