Buzz Aldrin Blames Science Fiction For Lack of Interest in Space Program

Posted on July 15, 2008

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin told Sci fi that he partly blames science fiction movies and shows for the average citizen's lack of interest in real space exploration.

"I blame the fantastic and unbelievable shows about space flight and rocket ships that are on today," Aldrin said in an interview during an ice cream party held by the National Geographic Channel at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., this week. "All the shows where they beam people around and things like that have made young people think that that is what the space program should be doing. It's not realistic."

The second man on the moon praised real-world films such as Apollo 13. "And Tom Hanks' series From the Earth to the Moon," Aldrin added. "They were fascinating, because it was reality history, and reality fiction can be good if you stick to reality. But, if you start dealing with fantasy and beaming people up and down and traveling seven times the speed of light, you are doing damage. You're not helping. You have young people who have got expectations that are far unrealistic, and you can't possibly live up to the expectations you have created in young people. Why do they get bored with the space program? That's why."

We have great respect for Aldrin, but we do disagree with him. So many NASA astronauts and engineers credit watching Star Trek for inspiring them to take up a career in the space industry. We think the lack of interest has more to do with the government's lack of funding and failure to promote the space program than about "wild" science fiction. Aldrin's new show is called Unseen Moon on the National Geographic channel. The show uses a hi-def camera on a satellite to observe the moon where Aldrin once walked.

More from Watchers Watch