Lost In Space: Common Sense

By Janice Castro

Political correctness has invaded space! nasa and the EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY have buckled under fussbudget accusations that Buck Rogers terminology is sexist. As a result, NASA will no longer refer to "manned" flights but will describe the missions as "habitated" and "unhabitated," or "crewed" and "uncrewed." Says a nasa spokesman: "We have been ordered to delete any reference by sex, on the grounds that 'manned' flight is crude and 'crewed' is p.c." Even so, some sociologists are still not satisfied. They prefer "space flight by human beings." Female astronauts find these linguistic aerobics foolish. Says one: "Common sense is the victim of all this rhetoric."