We went all the way to the moon 45 years ago in what was really not much more than a tin can. Now they go nowhere and just seem to lark around like it is a Royal Institution Christmas lecture.
They do a lot of important experiments though. If they lark about in their free time fair enough. I don't suppose you'd want to do nothing but work and sleep. Anyway, it's the cool fun stuff that gets public interest, leading to a) funding, and b) future astronauts and c) general interest in Science.
I'm in awe of the Moon landings and the pioneering spirit of the men who got us there - I was about a month old when Apollo 11 landed (and I'm only 43, thank you!) - but what has going to the Moon got us? Some everlasting footprints, some litter left on another heavenly body, and a whole load of loonies who reckon it never happened.
It's a mark of the progress of spaceflight that astronauts on the ISS can muck about as it they are just doing their day job, because they ARE just doing their day job. Adventuring is one thing, but the vastest benefit of space technology to most of us is the 'mundane' stuff like satellites - allowing us to watch cricket live from the other side of the world, and work out the quickest route to drive to IKEA....
Safe journey home guys!
. I just forwarded the YouTube link to various family. My older brother works on ground radar maintenance, so he's quite possibly already seen it.
