Trips to the moon may soon include traffic jams

When we were kids we thought we would want to be able to travel to the moon. In the past few months a few private companies have entered the space race. They have taken, for a fee, private citizens for short rocket trip into space and back. 
Those trips are an indication our youthful “to the moon” dreams could become a reality in our lifetime. Well, for some, but not for me. My traveling days are over whether it’s a cross-country tour by auto or by plane let alone boarding space craft for a trip in space. 
Over the years I’ve already experienced flight delays at airports, people standing in airport lines in crowded airports proving that flying may not be the fastest and easiest way to travel. As for driving cross-country, I’ve fought ground transport traffic jams from both east and west.
Now a news clipping told 40 of 49 satellites launched in a temporary position a couple weeks ago were tumbled out of orbit after being struck by a solar storm. The company still has close to 2,000 satellites orbiting earth in a lower orbit. Envisions of a constellation of thousands more satellites will be launched by other companies to increase internet service throughout the world. Astronomers are distressed these mega constellations will ruin nighttime observations from Earth.
Talk about traffic jams at airports and metro cities. We could face space jams on our potential “year’s away trip” to the moon when attempting to dodge discarded space crafts, satellites and other waste. At the present time it appears humanity is taking the initial step that could turn space into the new dumping grounds for our world. Ingenuity and technology hopefully will move forward with a plan to clean up their acts.
In all honesty, I just reaffirmed to skip any moon trips and limit my traveling to one day or less.
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A tourist traveling through Texas got into a conversation with an old settler and his son at a service station.
“Looks as though we might have some rain,” said the tourist.
“Well, I hope so,” replied the native, “not so much for myself as for my boy here. I’ve seen it rain.”
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RL Furse  is publisher emeritus of the News-Register