the dusty rocket

it's my nation's nasa. the rocket department. i went there last monday. having worked in the law n policy center of my nation's nasa, it's a scarce opportunity to see the other centers or department of the aerospace activity, the major product we sell. due to the space regulation we are introducing to other departments, i joined the roadshow, as the junior.

at the beginning, i despised the idea i have to deal the torturing journey to these faraway somewhere out of big city location. and partly true. i took the train, a 90 minutes train-they promised 40-, from one of jakarta station to tangerang. manggarai to serpong, 7.25 am, the earliest train. it was a good train with ac, small number of passenger, it was going uptown.
my first time on that train, and my recently became old friend actually failed to picture me the situation. they stalled a lot in every station. i payed 8000 rp for the train. at serpong, i took a public transport, paying 4000rp, straight to the indonesian's nasa office. 15 minutes, crazy driving. heading to rumpin.

The location

The rocket department, was intentionally put in a faraway location for reasons. this agency was founded for almost thirty years ago. at the first years, they were existed due to the air army existence. beginning to think of the space, not only the air. the nation needs to develop the research on space activity. rockets, satellites, as the man on the moon issue was spreaded.
but the space research activity is the activity that can not be put in military subject, since space activity has been universally agreed as the peaceful mission activity for humankind.
then, lapan was held. the space agency of indonesia.
still, the air military are still protecting the agency. rumpin for rocket, rancabungur for satellite, others for remote sensing, and so on. they were all attached to the air military sites.
not the public relation and administration that is put downtown, we can find it easily. my place? law n policy study, is also downtown, but not the mainroad, but the home complex for elite, menteng. yeah, it suites me good. great plazas nearby.

having other road to rumpin, it was a hell. compared to the road i used to roll to the cinema.

terrible 15 minutes road, big holes every inches, the stones rumbling from the scattered road, the charcoal layer is perfectly torned. the heat helped perfecting the torture. cisauk, is the name of the village. 'near your agency office, there's a mine, taking the stones for the contractors to build roads, building, houses. good quality, grade A.never stop buying process.' true. everyday numbers of trucks going back and forth through this road named jl. raya lapan. it was heart taking, there are schools with children all around, public health service, minimarkets, houses.. and the road is being marketed violently by the humungous trucks, never ending trucks.

the reason they gave a far location for the rocket, satellite department is majorly to avoid the riskful interaction with people. the daily public activity of course would demand safety and health. the agency rocket activity surely riskful.

out of nowhere, as what human do, they need location to live. one man leads to another. the quiet place should not be visited by public then become a crowdy location. full of human interaction.

sometimes, the new inhabitants in jalan raya lapan, paradoxly annoyed by the dangerous rocket activities and asked them to be considerable of people. that should have been done contrary.
these paradox also happened in other sites. as the rocket launch site in pameungpeuk. it was worse. especially when the ngo heat the people's emotion. to get rid of the agency who established there first.
the agency is only a research agency. they have no power against people.
if someday the city major had this intention to build a tourism site in the launching location, what power do these agency had? especially when the agency had no exact regulation giving them special credential.
hopefully the new era with abundant of young spirit with smart mind eagerly wanting sophisticated future, would someday undust the dusty rockets i touched yesterday at the rumpin's rocket workstation.