Buzz Aldrin Hates Sci-fi?

Ok... so apparently Buzz Aldrin blames science fiction for lack of interest in space exploration. Especially among young people. I'll say up front that I disagree with this hypothesis. Here's what he said:

"I blame the fantastic and unbelievable shows about space flight and rocket ships that are on today. 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."

I think Buzz is yearning for the old days. Back when the space program was synonymous with patriotism. That's not how it is anymore, but it should be. We do few things more fantastic, more important, than explore the universe and our place in it. When he walked on the moon he was an American hero. It made everyone believe that America was more ingenious, more fit than the Soviet Union. We don't have a technological rival anymore. No one is racing us to Mars. For the most part, scientists work together on space exploration (and that's for the best). Astronomers make discoveries constantly that expand our knowledge of the universe, but it gets buried on page G11... below the fold.

But I don't think this can be blamed on sci-fi. I, as a giant nerd, loves me some hard sci-fi. If anything, sci-fi increases interest the sciences. I grew up watching Star Trek: TNG and reading sci-fi books. If anything, young people need more exposure to science fiction. It's not their fault that the sort of "popular" sci-fi that might lead them down that path is scarce these days. Good science fiction elicits a sense of wonder, and that's where science starts.

The "unrealistic" technology in sci-fi doesn't make what we can do any less important or impressive. As Phil Plait of the Bad Astronomy blog points out, we can take a picture of a man-made object parachuting to the surface of Mars with another man-made object already orbiting the planet. That is damn impressive. Even though we have a long way to go, it's not discouraging.

Since I was a teenager, science fiction made me think about the future of humanity. Are we destined to stay on this planet until we go extinct? I hope not. I believe if our species is to survive, we have to spread out someday. Spaceflight is important, knowing what's out there is important. My love for science and science fiction are one in the same. These, and other things I have learned from the likes of Asimov, Card, Vinge, Roddenberry, and many others.