3 Points On Space Exploration

I have a lot of opinions regarding space exploration.  Most importantly, I believe that we need a permanent human presence in space.  That means not only people continuously inhabiting Earth orbiting stations like the ISS, but people on the Moon and Mars, as well.  It promises to be a long and bumpy road, but I am confident humanity is up for the challenge.  Here are my thoughts on three pressing issues regarding our forays into space...

1.  NASA is headed in the right direction.  After a few years of discombobulation, NASA finally has its head on straight with regards to manned space flight.  The Bush administration's Constellation program, which planned to send humans back to the Moon, was doomed from the beginning.  More of a political distraction than anything else, Constellation was never funded properly, and there was no way it was ever going to get off the ground.  People are still lamenting its demise, which is ridiculous, considering it was the space bridge to nowhere.  On the other hand, the Obama administration’s plan to send humans to an asteroid by 2025, and eventually to Mars in the 2030’s, seems so far to be funded more realistically.  As long as Congress doesn’t cut NASA’s budget too drastically in the coming decades, I don’t see any reason why the current plan should not succeed. 

SpaceX's 'Dragon' capsule

2.  Privatize, privatize, privatize!  NASA’s ability to allocate funds to deep space exploration stems largely from policies that have freed them from the responsibility of ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station.  After the retirement of the Space Shuttle later this year, the Russians will initially bear the burden of keeping the ISS manned.  However, plans are in motion for private, American firms like SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop and operate crew capsules for low-Earth orbit missions, including trips to the ISS.  This makes perfect sense.  Why constrict NASA’s already tight budget by forcing them to do Taxi service?  Politicians are always hailing American private enterprise as the most innovative in the world.  So let them innovate!  As long as it is done safely, private enterprise should take over trips to the ISS, so NASA can spend its money on science missions and deep space exploration.

Space Shuttle Atlantis docked to Russian space station Mir, 1995

3.  International cooperation is key.  When the Soviet Union fell in 1991, space was, for the first time, truly international.  In 1998, only seven years later, the U.S. and Russia began construction on the International Space Station.  This was a monumental example of how political realities on the ground can hinder or help our ascension into space.  Since then, international cooperation has grown by leaps and bounds.  Not only are the United States and Russia strong allies in space, but the European Space Agency, Japan, South Korea, India, Canada, and others have all worked together on manned and robotic space missions.  The big unknown now is China.  In 2003, China put its first man into Orbit, securing their place as a major player in space exploration.  Since then they have been ramping up their manned space program vigorously.  While China and other international partners have cooperated in some space science missions, China’s manned space program remains secretive and under military control.  This backward and stifled view of space exploration helps no one, least of all China itself.  The only way to move forward in space is through cooperation and scientific transparency.

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