WHY GO INTO OUTER SPACE ?

Written:04/25/96

This is the question space enthusiasts are continually asked. For most pro-space people the reason is simple. Its the same reason the mountain climber and the deep sea explorer have for their activities. Because its there, and we want to go. Its the siren call of exploration and adventure. This is sufficient reason for us, but others, notably those with the needed funding, require more concrete reasons.

There are many long-term, theoretical, philosophical and idealistic reasons to explore space. Here are a few of them:

• Humans have always been explorers. We have sought out every niche, nook and cranny from Mount Everest to Antarctica to the Marianas Trench. There is little remaining of the Earth that we haven't explored, so space seems the next logical step.
• There is a branch of democratic political philosophy that holds that without a frontier a democracy is doomed to degenerate and collapse. This branch holds that the frontier is required as an escape valve for the adventuresome and those who feel to constrained by society's rules. Space is the ultimate frontier (no Trek jokes please).
• As demonstrated by Shoemaker-Levy 9's plunge into Jupiter, there are large objects out there that could reduce this planet to rubble. The possibility of this happening anytime soon is statistically remote, but possible. For the sake of the long-term survival of the human race it would behoove us to have viable human populations elsewhere.
• Our global human population continues to grow at an incredible rate. The possibility of us reigning in our collective libidos before we start placing a serious strain on this planet's resources seems slim; especially if third-world countries continue to try to acquire the means of a USA kind of lifestyle. Other than massive death by war and/or famine, the only escape valve I can see for this population-resources problem is large scale, commercial access to space. This could provide resources (mined from planets/asteroids, grown on space stations) and at least a small population outlet for colonization.

The problem with all these is exactly that they are "long-term, theoretical, philosophical and idealistic reasons to explore space". Those with the funds and resources want short-term, solid, concrete, economic reasons for space exploration. This is entirely understandable given the level of funding such endeavors require. To my fellow space enthusiasts I say this: These people should not be derided for being "money grubbing" or "lacking vision" as some of the more vehement pro-space folks sometimes do out of frustration. Its their money, reputation and livelihood on the line if and when things go wrong so their caution is warranted; insulting them is as foolish as it is counterproductive. As hard as it is for us to think of space in these terms, we must give them the solid business/economic reasons they desire. Many are already doing so with some success and are to be applauded. Some success stories are:

• Communication satellites
• Satellite television (DSS)
• Remote sensing
• The small (low Earth orbit) launcher industry

Some promising potential industries that are currently building steam are:

• Space tourism - The Japanese are actively studying it and a number of US companies are looking into the possibility as well. Several polls have indicated there are many people out there who will pay a substantial amount of money to go into space, even for a little while.
• Entertainment - There is a company planning to open a space theme park, the main attraction of which will be controlling and looking through the eyes of a small, remote controlled robot rover on the moon.
• Materials fabrication - In the microgravity environment of orbit materials form and interact differently than on the earth's surface. High quality crystals have already been grown in space that surpass the quality of anything that can be made on Earth.

It behooves all space enthusiasts to be cognizant of these and other practical reasons for space exploration, to silence those who dismiss us as "crazy dreamers" and "science fiction geeks", to win adherents to our cause, and most importantly, to convince the powers that be that space is a sound investment. We know the reasons we want to go; let's give everyone else reasons to come with us.

Cosmically Yours,
Jay the Obscure