Starting a conversation is hard. Geting off on the wrong foot can happen so quickly and then any chance of a meaningful encounter is lost. I am really interested in starting a conversation. Not a conversation on any subject, but a conversation about space exploration and why that effort is meaningful. Perhaps you agree, perhaps you disagree, but you certainly know some things I don’t. And I am really interested in finding out what I don’t know (which is a lot!)
So I’ll try to hammer out some thoughts every day or so – maybe with pictures if I figure that out – and you can write me back and tell me how its going..
So for the first post, I’ll start with the reason I came to work late — my grandkids (oh, no, you didn’t want to hear that kind of story did you?!)
Not that my two grandchildren are the smartest and brightest kids ever born (they are), but what having grandchildren – or children – can mean. Children make me thoughtful. (After they are in bed, anyway). Little children make me think about the future. What will the world be like when these wee ones inherit what we have done? Will the world be a better or a worse place than it is today? And the hardest question of all: what can I do to make it better?
I hold a stubborn and passionate belief that space exploration is important for that future. Just one example for today: understanding our own planet. Without satellites to monitor the weather, climate, pollution, crop growth patterns, and many other things we would be blind and deaf to what is happening. The earth monitoring satellites built by many countries and many US agencies are giving us vital information about our world every day. And that is information that cannot be gained anywhere else but from earth orbit.
Beyond all that, studying other planets have helped understand our own. In particular, how our complex atmosphere works. Our weather and climate are influenced by the interaction of air and water, sometimes too complex to understand directly. Venus and Mars don’t have oceans but they have weather. Studying those planets helps us understand what happens without oceans. Jupiter and Saturn have planet circling oceans (not water, certainly!) underneath their atmosphere. By studying them we understand better how gas and liquid interact to affect climate and weather. The payoff is better weather forecasts, better understanding of climate change, and more impetus to change our own future. Don’t stop there. The Sun drives all our weather and climate, everything else is just a tweak around the edges by comparison. The Ulysses probe is going silent after 17 years of service. Ulysses, launched on the shuttle Discovery, studied the sun. Ulysses and the other solar satellites are helping us to understand how changes in our unstable star occur. Better understanding of the sun is mandatory to understand our future.
All of that to make sure that our children and grandchildren have a better future. Or, at least better than what would occur if we didn’t know what was going on and therefore couldn’t do anything about it.
So, a first example and discussion topic. I’ll have more in days to come.
Let me know what you think!
Wayne
I enjoyed the post. Keep it up.
The data from space exploration has given us a better planet with a deeper understanding of our living conditions. But for what we know, there is so much more data yet to be collected. We are just starting. We have a lot more exploration that needs to be completed.
Ignoring space, and ignoring exploration to other planets will reduce our chances for survival to an incredible degree. It’s not fiction. There is way too much out there to not believe. I don’t think people realize the true value of what NASA has done, in collaboration with many other agencies, and what they all continue to do. I really couldn’t (and don’t want to) imagine what life would be like if we never touched space.
It is definitely awe inspiring. Watching as a kid. As a Marine. Now as a soon-to-be college graduate. I am really excited to see what is discovered in future space exploration.
Welcome to the blogosphere, Wayne!
The immediate concerns for someone with a Calif* background are finding more water & finding more land to live on. The human condition is lack of space. You can seek out more complicated goals for a space agency but creating more room for the human population is the most obvious.
A very nice start. This conversation sounds like it is starting off on the right foot.
Our world changes ever more quickly, thanks in no small measure to the work of NASA. One thing I hope you’ll talk about is how you manage such large, complex and far-reaching projects – especially as part of the strategic partnerships.
I make videogames for a living and that’s something our industry hasn’t really figured out yet as it grows, for whatever reason, so some insight from someone deeply involved in much larger projects is always welcome.
Wayne:
When considering the impact of space travel on our grandchildren’s lives, one aspect that I think doesn’t gets nearly enough press, particularly as a “killer app” justification for the whole endeavor, can be summed up with one simple phrase: options for cool things to do.
Take the moon. If the VSE unfolds according to plan, it will usher in an era where our grandchildren can visit and hang out on the moon. Initially, there will be all kinds of exploration and adventure opportunities, to be the first to climb a peak in the lunar alps, or to spelunk a lunar cave, or to scale the walls of Copernicus.
The opportunity to be “first”, to accomplish something no one has ever done before, are increasingly rare here on the Earth. On the Moon, they will abound. As they will, one day, perhaps for our great-grandchildren, on Mars.
But the options don’t stop there. Imagine the possiblities for new sporting events on the Moon, similar to our extreme sporting events here on Earth. Imagine the thrill of competing for (and viewing) a skateboarding championship in 1/6 gravity, or a tennis tournament, or a billiards championship, or a sport invented specifically for the lunar environment.
Imagine the option that will face our grandchildren as they themselves grow to ripe old ages, of departing the Earth completely for life in 1/6 G, where they will be able to remain physically active in the sport of their choice even after they become physically incapble of engaging in it on their home planet.
If we can rise to the technical challenges needed to enable and sustain a long-term human presence on the moon, the options and choices that will open up for our more adventurous grandchildren will enrich and broaden their life experience in ways we can’t even imagine.
Why is space exploration meaningful? That is definitely a meaty topic. But I wonder, should the topic be broader than space “exploration”? We tend to focus on space exploration, but that is only the learning phase. It’s a convenient and easy catch phrase, but if our focus is exploration I would suggest that makes it too easy to lose our way, and I wonder if perhaps we have done that.
I am a certified space cadet. It was in my blood since I was born. When I was three years old I would watch space science fiction before I would watch children’s shows like Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. But as I grew up and deepened my space involvement, I noticed that my peers were becoming less and less interested in space.
Sure, they thought it was cool and impressive, but a magician is cool and impressive, too…and does not require line items on the Federal budget. I think in my generation (Gen X), we saw the aftermath of excitement of Apollo, but most of us weren’t there to see Apollo. We watched the birth of the shuttle and that was great, but there was a big letdown that NASA never delivered the Jetsons lifestyle that we expected to emerge. You can point to all sorts of exciting gadgets that the space program did help give birth to, but it’s not enough. It pales in the shadow of Apollo and you have the feeling that you missed what it was really all about. The train is gone. It has left the station, so you need to go find something else to get excited about. That’s where most of my generation is.
I think the “exploration” of space is the point of excitement of the Baby Boomers, but at least for Gen X, that’s not enough. Short of discovering a thriving alien civilization or inventing a warp drive for a mission to Alpha Centauri, no form of exploration will be sufficient. It really doesn’t matter (to most) what you find on the Moon or on Mars. After a brief spike in website hits, it becomes a resounding “so what.”
Space exploration (alone) is not meaningful enough. But space utilization is. And this is not a new concept. Just as you said, we’re already utilizing space. But talking about remote sensing and and solar astrophysics is only enough to make someone who wants to cut the NASA budget feel just a little bit guilty for doing it. That’s not enough utilization to get them excited about space.
Ironically, I think the answer is staring us in our faces. It’s there every time we go to the gas pump. Energy. Everybody knows we have to do something about our energy situation. It’s bad enough that both presidential candidates are saying we need an “Apollo program on energy,” or words to that effect. But unfortunately they aren’t thinking about space in the slightest when they say that. The answer is in space, though. I think it is very unfortunate that the Constellation program is more focused on gathering rocks in 100 kg sets than it is on capturing a fraction of the 13,000 terawatts of solar energy the Moon receives from the Sun…and even better if we could do it using equipment manufactured on the Moon from local lunar resources. What if it were NASA’s goal to deliver to the Earth by 2040 sufficient energy to entirely eliminate the use of gasoline in American cars and the use of fossil fuels in American electric powerplants?
(This is not to say that exploration is no longer important. It will always be important. But I suspect the exploration that could piggyback on an aggressive lunar utilization program might be greater than the exploration that will be accomplished under the current Constellation program.)
If that were our goal, I think that would be something we could excite the American public about, something that perhaps Congress might feel warrants funding at Apollo levels. And no, this would not be an easy goal to accomplish. In so many areas, there are entire technologies that would have to be developed…but isn’t that what NASA was created for?
I was hoping NASA would start more of a conversation with the public. I hope this is a good start.
Clearly (at least to you and me) space exploration has numerous benefits for the current and the next generations. However, when this question comes up, I tend to favor the long view: that humanity is both capable of and worthy of long-term survival…on the order of thousands and hopefully millions of years. From this perspective, space exploration is not only beneficial…it is absolutely vital to our survival as a species. This point of view is summed up far better than I can express it by the character of Commander Sinclair in J. Michael Straczynski’s terrific television show “Babylon 5”:
(he doesn’t quite get the science right in his reference to the stellar lifecycle, [growing cold vs red giant] but the spirit of the answer is right on)
Reporter: “After all that you’ve just gone through, I have to ask you the same question a lot of people back home are asking about space these days. Is it worth it? Should we just pull back, forget the whole thing as a bad idea, and take care of our own problems, at home?”
Sinclair: “No. We have to stay here, and there’s a simple reason why. Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics – and you’ll get ten different answers. But there’s one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on: whether it happens in a hundred years, or a thousand years, or a million years, eventually our sun will grow cold, and go out. When that happens, it won’t just take us, it’ll take Marilyn Monroe, and Lao-tsu, Einstein, Maruputo, Buddy Holly, Aristophanes – all of this. All of this was for nothing, unless we go to the stars.”
A great point at which to start the conversation! In essence, why are we doing all this? Better understanding of Earth’s climatic change is a big one. I am reminded of an essay from Carl Sagan’s book “Billions and Billions,” where he pointed out how Venus provides a perfect example of the dangers of runaway greenhouse warming (and Sagan probably wasn’t the first to point this out).
Space exploration offers many benefits to humanity–some of those benefits are concrete and direct, others are indirect and abstract. In my opinion, one of the largest benefits presented by space exploration is the opportunity to work on large-scale, peaceful projects with other nations. If we are to solve any of the large-scale problems that Earth faces, we need to learn how to better put aside self-interests and work together for the common good. The International Space Station partners are doing a pretty good job in this arena. We could do better though.
Not many agencies in the Government have as strong of a focus on the future as NASA does. How much do most people put aside from their paycheck for retirement? Ten, maybe fifteen percent (including Social Security) would not be considered superfluous. Some might consider it a prudent minimum. For every dollar the Federal Government spends, less than 7 cents are spent on NASA. This modest investment that we taxpayers make towards our future is well worth the cost.
Yet still, there are some that argue our taxpayer money is better spent “here on Earth.” I’d be interested to hear about other government programs that have a better track-record of helping to understand, forecast, mitigate, and even solve some of Earth’s most pressing problems.
Mr. Hale,
I would just like to say that I think you are taking the right approach to changing our future. In many recent blogs and commentaries, much emphasis has been placed on the need to stop talking and start acting. While there is a time and a place to start enacting change, now is not quite that time. We must first understand where we came from, where we are, and where we are going. That understanding comes from discussion and reflection.
Like you, I am a strong believer in the merits of human space exploration. Where would we be as a human race without it? Probably still staring up at the stars wondering what lies just beyond our reach. In reality, we are only slightly beyond that notion today.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stood on the surface of the Moon pondering those same questions. And, when he took those final steps in 1972, Gene Cernan thought we would reach beyond the Moon’s surface soon. It was the next step. For lack of a better term, “it was our destiny.”
Somewhere along the way, we decided it wasn’t our next step or our destiny. Even before the third lunar landing, Americans lost interest in space. During Apollo 13, the real-time crew broadcasts from the command module “Odyssey” were not interesting enough to be broadcast in real time. (Thank you Discovery Channel’s “When We Left Earth” mini-series) Yet, less than one year earlier, an estimated 500 million people from around the world tuned in to watch the first lunar landing. In less than a year, manned exploration of the lunar surface was no longer newsworthy.
The same is happening today. In the last 25 years, the most expansive news coverage of the space program highlights the loss of two Space Shuttles and a faulty toilet on the International Space Station. All this while some of the most significant scientific discoveries of the past 25 years remain largely in the limelight. As you mentioned, we have learned some amazing things about our tiny planet and the celestial neighborhood. A recent article on the Ulysses spacecraft said it best. “Ulysses taught us the answer to questions we didn’t know to ask.”
The same can be applied to human space exploration. Many of our crowning technological achievements and “spin-offs” were not intentional or foreseen. We did not know at the outset that the Apollo program would drive the development of the powerful desktop and personal computers that we use on a daily basis. Nor did we know that Velcro would become an essential element of the tennis shoes your grandchildren wear. The fact is, we simply don’t know what discoveries wait for us beyond low-Earth orbit.
But how do you convince the American taxpayers to buy into a program that can’t promise personal, tangible results up front? I’m not sure the answer to that question will ever be known. However, what we can do is share our stories. A child’s dream is our reality. I am living my childhood dream. I share it every chance I get. There are people who are tired of hearing it, yet they never seem to be able to stop listening.
And that’s really what I think it boils down to. People are always listening. They may not appear to be, but perhaps it’s that nobody has taken the time to share their experiences with them. I am faced with what I think we can all agree is one of the toughest audiences to convince right now: college students. I am one myself. Yet, regardless of political leanings, I have never shared my stories with a fellow student and had them say “Wow! What a total waste of money.” Space exploration fascinates people.
So I encourage everyone who reads this to share their experiences with someone. There will always be a child eager to listen. Perhaps it is through your experiences that we will be allowed to find out what lies just beyond our reach.
You really need an RSS feed. So does Shana Dale. People tend to read blogs nowadays through feed aggregators, as it is so much easier than visiting dozens of blogs a day. Welcome to the blogosphere.
This is wonderful! I deeply believe that by and large, most people feel distant from the Space Program in general. They feel a distance imposed of not only by a “wall” of intimidating tech, and government, but because most people can’t put a human face or touch to “rocket science” in this day and age.
You, and many other readers here gathered are in a unique position to know that the programs are run and held together by some really remarkable people, including yourself.
What you’re doing here can bring a bit more of a connection to people “on the outside looking in.”
By helping to convince them that NASA is in fact, one of the most human of endeavors, you’ll be rendering yet another invaluable service to not only the agency, but far more important, to the people who work so hard and well to give NASA a life that touches all of us each and every day. If I could, I’d toss you a fireball 🙂 Good luck!
Let me add my best wishes for your new blog and thank you for such informative and enthusiastic Shuttle briefings.
Many of us here at newmars share quite a different vision for exploration. It’s a vision that includes a better understanding of space but it also includes our permanent presence. We see the basic purpose of exploration as preparation for colonization. Yes, this is a distant goal, but it’s already begun in a small way with the Space Station that you have helped to construct. Next will be the Lunar Outpost, then one on Mars and after that the first colony will be established – perhaps on the Moon. Eventually there will be a civilization on Mars. Then we go beyond.
Visit us at http://www.newmars.com/forums
Let me add my best wishes for your new blog and thank you for such informative and enthusiastic Shuttle briefings.
Many of us here at newmars share quite a different vision for exploration. It’s a vision that includes a better understanding of space but it also includes our permanent presence. We see the basic purpose of exploration as preparation for colonization. Yes, this is a distant goal, but it’s already begun in a small way with the Space Station that you have helped to construct. Next will be the Lunar Outpost, then one on Mars and after that the first colony will be established – perhaps on the Moon. Eventually there will be a civilization on Mars. Then we go beyond.
Visit us at http://www.newmars.com/forums
I used to think like you. And in general I still do. But not now. The timings wrong. There are more important things for the agwncy ro do.
I spent 20 years in the agency thinking, rather mysteriously, that I was fated to assist humans to go to Mars. Of course the Agency doesn’t do anything with speed so I have recently retired with my Mars dreams unfullfiled. And, after several years of watching the world without needing to respond to request for instant power point briefings and other emergencies, I decided that the best way I could spend the rest of my useful life was to get involved with the issues of global warming and energy security. So I have and am watching the developing election scene to observe the enevitable involvement of the Agency with these issues and the related reduction in exploration.And I think this is proper.
Your grandkids deserve no better than a world they can live in. Then on to Mars.
M. Averner Ph.D.
Program Manager (ret.)
Fundamental Sace Biology Program
The reason I want to work here is exactly the same. You look around this world and see many negative aspects including starvation, energy and metal shortages plus many more issues. People offer temporary solutions to the problems, but few offer insight for our future.
Just in our tiny corner of space we can see viable solutions to some of these problems. for energy we have the promise of He3, and solar space platforms; for hunger we have food growing technologies in work for mars; for metal… there is so much out there that we have no way to get it all.
We don’t know what space has to offer, because we have seen just the smallest of small segments of it. Let us get our feet out there, see what we can find, and change our world. For this is the new world for our generation to explore.
The reason I want to work here is exactly the same. You look around this world and see many negative aspects including starvation, energy and metal shortages plus many more issues. People offer temporary solutions to the problems, but few offer insight for our future.
Just in our tiny corner of space we can see viable solutions to some of these problems. for energy we have the promise of He3, and solar space platforms; for hunger we have food growing technologies in work for mars; for metal… there is so much out there that we have no way to get it all.
We don’t know what space has to offer, because we have seen just the smallest of small segments of it. Let us get our feet out there, see what we can find, and change our world. For this is the new world for our generation to explore.
I’ll second Keith’s welcome, and say you’re off to a good start.
I’m very passionate on this topic, for many of the same reasons I suspect you are, based on your post. That’s why I got into this business myself. I think it’s reasonably fair to say that starting the conversation on VSE in terms of “why” is worthwhile, especially given another comment that I just scanned. Those arguments are political, economic, scientific and a deeply human need to inspire, explore and to witness wonders with their own eyes.
But, that’s just the beginning. My earliest memory of human spaceflight was witnessing the explosion of the Challenger on live TV. People of my age have seen, since then, a string of tragedy and disappointment. Our belief that NASA can fulfill those goals, is just that–a belief, an article of faith, grounded in the history of the Agency’s glory days and the knowledge that it still hires some of the best and brightest.
In trying to sell VSE, I think what you’re seeing are a lot of people (regardless of age), is an expectation. In some ways, VSE bears the burden of 30 years of expectation. It’s a new beginning, and an attempt to return the Agency (in part) to its roots, and as such it carries the responsibility of manifesting, to the public, their hopes and expectations for NASA. I think that’s why you saw so many alternatives to ESAS pop up in the beginning, as so many advocacy groups rushed to put together what they considered a superior formulation. But, I digress.
I think what many people are looking for, is not the why, but the how. It’s an obvious observation to say that the method of implementing this matters, but I think that’s what many people, particularly in the industry are reserving judgment on at this point. And that judgment will ultimately determine how unified the public and industry are and can be in supporting the Agency.
In some ways, Constellation needs to have many qualities of Apollo; the drive, in particular. But Constellation (like VSE) bears a burden that Apollo did not. Apollo was single-destination oriented; so, once that destination was reached it was harder to sustain broad support for continuing. Constellation needs to drive toward stated destinations, but it also needs to build a set of capabilities that support a space-faring society. Otherwise, once we get to Mars, Constellation goes the way of Apollo and becomes a pleasant memory. Nobody wants this to be a noble stunt. To do that, some hard choices need to be made, based not on how NASA can most easily gear up for a capability, but based on how NASA wants to see its mission capability in 40 years. I’m probably not the only one who has some… extensive thoughts in this regard.
I look forward to seeing your posts in the future, and wish you well.
Wayne
Last month you drew an analogy between the history of NASA and the life of an individual human. Other lines of thought connected to this idea might be; can a species put its head in the sand? Can our species evolve consciously, rather than following the lead of a lucky mutant gene set? Clearly there are practical reasons for homo sapien sapiens to leave the planet. Are there evolutionary reasons that make space exploration a necessity for your grandchildren? Its hard for me to imagine (because I’m not a science fiction guy) but considering all we don’t know and our inability to accurately predict the future in so many fields, e.g., politics, medicine, technology, climate changes it seems like we should do what we can do to move forward or the species may end up as a short-lived set of fossils.
I think this is great! This sort of direct and informal open communication between upper management and the rest of us is a really good idea.
Don’t forget why space exploration is really important to the governments – militarization. One only needs to look at developing policies of nations such as Japan to see the inevitable outcome of this position. And sure, if we understand weather better, we can use it to place sanctions on governments we don’t like and kill even more innocents without looking too guilty.
Most technologies developed are used to subjugate the masses, what makes you think space will be any different? Is the harm of space exploration worth the good right now? How do you feel about your efforts eventually being used for less-than-well-intentioned purposes? When will the returns on expenditures offset the good that could be done with more vaccines, medications, environmental clean-up projects, and food programs that actually work?
Some of this is being a devil’s advocate but some of this should also be considered.
An excellent start and an excellent question. Aside from the scientific benefits that have already been elucidated, one of the biggest benefits to space exploration to me is that it gives people, particularly students, something to shoot for. If it wasn’t for the space program, I know I would not be an engineer… even though I was not born when Apollo launched, as a kid I was still fascinated in the space station and the shuttle, and more than anything else, the people involved in reaching this frontier. Their stories, from the actual astronauts to flight controllers and engineers, gave me an example of something to strive for, both as a student and as a human being.
So, I guess more than anything else, what the space program gives us is an example of inspiration, of work ethic, and of accomplishing things that even a century ago were unimaginable, and I think all of those things are more more important now than ever.
I think this is a great start, and definitely a way to get some interesting feedback if we can just get everyone (not just people already interested in space) to read and respond to this!
I also wanted to point out to Rob Guinness that in his comment he says “For every dollar the Federal Government spends, less than 7 cents are spent on NASA.”
It’s actually much much less, its more like 7/10ths of one cent are spent on NASA per dollar that the Federal Government spends. If we got a whooping 7% of the federal budget, we’d be back to the moon and on to mars in no time!
Here are a few tips about blogging. If your blog is moderated, like this one apparently is, you should warn people that it is. Otherwise you will get many duplicate posts. Also the email is required but there is no asteriks next to the field. Finally you should have an RSS/Atom feed if you want people to seriously monitor your new postings.
As always, you ask provocative questions and seem to be open to hearing the answers. I look forward to your continued and frequent blogging.
I wonder if NASA is really interested in all of this, however. I did not learn about your blog from NASA.gov Rather, I learned about it from NASAWatch.com They seem to be far more attuned to what is going on within the agency than NASA.gov is. That is their role, I suppose, but why is it, after all these years, that NASA is still such a stick in the mud when it comes to promoting openness and transparency?
Perhaps you can address that in a future blog post.
You guys need to work on that.
Thanks for starting this blog. Your e-mails have always been inspiring and I think this blog will be fun to read!
On Jun 17, 2008 11:38:47 PM Rob Guinness wrote:
“Not many agencies in the Government have as strong of a focus on the future as NASA does. How much do most people put aside from their paycheck for retirement? Ten, maybe fifteen percent (including Social Security) would not be considered superfluous. Some might consider it a prudent minimum. For every dollar the Federal Government spends, less than 7 cents are spent on NASA. This modest investment that we taxpayers make towards our future is well worth the cost.”
Rob,
I wish it were that high. It’s actually on the order of 0.7 cents.
Hooray to NASA for providing you this blog. I was afraid NASA was wasting its #2 greatest national resource (Hubble Telescope being #1). I look forward to your regular posts.
Signed,
A devoted Wayne Hale fan.
We explore because it is what our minds are made for.
In 2006 I placed as runner-up in a JSC essay contest entitled “Why Space Exploration Is So Vital To The Nation” which seems to be on-topic. I tried to take a different approach in my essay; Instead of restating the “party line” of all the reasons we have heard over and over again why it is important that we do what we do (which has not seemed to move our critics), I took a more philosophical position that essentially states that space exploration is fundamental to what defines us as human beings and fundamental to our survival as a form of life. I think, if you get onboard with this idea, it is a much stronger case for space exploration, but I thought I would share what I wrote again here to see what people think.
To step onto the carousel that is the ongoing debate of the value of space exploration, the rider hears many familiar arguments. Proponents of exploration speak of the extinction of the dinosaur, the natural instinct of humanity to embark on journeys into the unknown and the potential for scientific discovery and technological spinoffs, which improve the quality of life. Opponents talk about priorities here on Earth, the risk of manned spaceflight and violations of budget or schedule in various projects. To understand why space exploration is so vital to our nation is to understand that space exploration is one of the finest examples of the vitality of the human race. Vitality can be defined as the capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence. This is a discussion about survival, but not in terms such as overpopulation or falling victim to a cataclysm like the fate of the dinosaurs. It is a survival discussion in the sense that humans live on a planet whose mortality is as certain as each of our own individual lives.
All life on our Earth depends on the sun, which will eventually die. Although this fate is billions of years in the future, it is a certainty. The concept of billions of years is not something we as humans can easily grasp, but we know it is just a fraction of the span of existence of the universe. Are human beings destined to live, reproduce and refine our existence until our sun grows into a red giant and engulfs us, leaving no evidence we ever existed? Truthfully, the universe will continue, with or without us.
Maybe instead, human beings are the only examples of life in our experience that have the ability to dream, the intelligence to invent and the passion to act, all of which have allowed us to fly off of this planet and go elsewhere, for a reason. We have not gone far, but the fact that we have done it at all begs the question as to why we can, if it is not our destiny. Space exploration draws heavily on all the traits that set humanity apart from all other life on Earth. It brings out the brightest ideas, the most tenacious work and the bravest souls. This may be no coincidence; eastern philosophies speak of the state of alignment when the mind, body and soul are all acting as one toward a higher purpose. What higher purpose can be imagined than our long-term survival as a form of life? All of the finest accomplishments of humanity such as works of art and literature, musical compositions and architecture, for example, seem of little consequence if humanity is unable to survive.
Accounts of survival stories often come down to a realization that the victims of situations that cause life and death struggles make a conscious decision to live. This will to live has been observed to overcome tremendous physical hardship. It is this same will that overcomes technical hurdles, fear of the unknown and physical limitations to human space travel. Humans on Earth cannot agree on national borders, religious beliefs, languages, systems of government or even currency. But all humans share this strong will to survive and the condition that our solar system as we know it has an end date. The ability to leave this planet, and the need and will to do it may be all that truly unifies humanity.
To embrace this idea is to embrace the following: the need to leave this planet and inhabit other worlds, coupled with the traits to accomplish this task, defines who we are as human beings. We are taking baby steps now, but these steps are the path to fulfilling no less than our destiny to survive. This is the essence of vitality, and the reason why space exploration is essential to humanity. Therefore, space exploration is vital to our nation, which possesses the vitality to lead the way.
On Jun 17, 2008 11:38:47 PM Rob Guinness wrote:
“Yet still, there are some that argue our taxpayer money is better spent ‘here on Earth.’ “
Rob, what you forgot to point out is that NONE of NASA’s budget is spent in space — all of it is spent ‘here on Earth’. All of NASA’s budget goes to keeping our technology competitive with that of other nations, through employment of those persons who are keepers of the knowledge. If any of the program goes away, the knowledge kept by those persons will be forgotten.
Wayne, welcome !
Starting this conversation is promising. If you would make it your day job, it would still not be enough – there is a dry sponge thirst for good quality space exploration info and discussion. Visit us at forum.nasaspaceflight.com, just to see your fans in action, hundreds of us active at any given time !
Wayne, I have listened to a recording of Mr. Hale’s lecture at M.I.T. 2005 – Mission Control 2.
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/16/16.885/f05/lecturevideos/ocw-16.885-10nov2005.mp3
I know, it’s not fair to ask for more of that, but cannot help it !
Thanks to nasawatch.com for the head up. Wayne Hale is blogging !
Dear Wayne,
I’ll give you credit for resisting the temptation to name your corner of the blogosphere “Wayne’s World”.
Most of us would’ve concluded that we’re not worthy, and moved on…
But seriously, it’s nice to want to see what we think out here. There are enough scientific types here, so I’ll look at a “conversation” as a two-way street.
I have been fortunate in the past few years to have had conversations with some of your colleagues, and one “fading star” in the music business who has a strange tie to NASA.
You learn things about people when you converse with them, for instance, who knew that “Reads” has an affinity for Triumph Bonnevilles and WWII aircraft? Or that he secretly wishes that he could go to the ISS after it’s all completed?
I chuckle when I think about an e-mail that John Grunsfeld shared with me in 2004, saying that although he’d never get to go to repair the Hubble, he’d always remember his time there as being one of the best times of his life. Of course, he’s very busy these days getting ready to visit HST one more time…who knew that he’d get to do it again?
And this strange bit of info; that when the Carpenters (Karen and Richard) moved out to California, their mother Agnes worked at the aerospace plant in Downey that constructed Apollo spacecraft, and would later manufacture components for the Space Shuttle.
You see, having a real conversation puts a human spin on things, allowing those you’re conversing with to become more than “talking heads” on the television.
So, enjoy the conversation, Wayne. Tolerate the “sidewalk superintendents” among us, and don’t take the inevitable slings and arrows personally.
And keep up the good work…
While I don’t want to knock the motivation for making the world a better place for the next generation, I’d like to put in a few words for doing this for us. I’m part of what some call Gen-X. I was only a few months old when Apollo 11 landed. So my generation is the generation of “kids” who one assumed Apollo was about us living in space. We were told in school “One day you can live in space!”. And we waited and waited and it never happened. That’s why many of us got tired of waiting and are now out building it ourselves. I’m VP of Business Development at Masten Space Systems and we’re working on building our own VTVL launch vehicles. In retrospect I think it was wrong of all of us to wait on NASA to provide our dreams for us. So we’re out here trying to fix that as fast as possible.
That’s why I think that space exploration is important for the present. And its not just science or “exploration” (exploration is an action, not a reason). Its about going there and staying. Now. Its about humans being born, living, working, crying, laughing and dying in space. Its about a child being born and _never_ knowing what living on earth is like _in my lifetime_.
But again, its not about some mythical future generation of grandchildren. It really should be about us. Unless it involves us being able to travel in space in our lifetime then frankly, I’m just not interested.
Hi Wayne,
I just finished reading all 35 comments to your “Starting a Conversation” blog and it was interesting to say the least. Several excellent comments and thoughts were presented. I especially liked the one about emphasizing “Space utilization” over exploration as in fact utilization is where all exploration efforts (physical and mental)go. Exploration is not the end but the begining; providing the next source of resources and/or knowledge for humanities advancements.
Space is just another uncharted territory beckoning humanity to come have a look and see what is there. If we (humanity)go we will find sooner or later the limitless resourses and challenges that humanity requires for its survival. If we do not go then humanity will stagnate and/or perish.
Some individuals posted that there are current issues that have to be solved before space is explored and indeed there are issues that are of great importance, but it does not have to be an either/or type of arguement. In fact, it is required that we do both as space exploration and the subsequent resources and knowledge obtained will provide solutions for our survival, but at the same time to explore we must survive. The message then is really to look at the goal (survival of humanity?)and generate an integrated set of objectives and actions that lead to attainment of the goal. Unfortunately in addressing and solving issues we human beings are not very good at using an integration approach to define and address our issues which leads to alot of waste in time and resources.
Michael made a great point when he said,
“So my generation is the generation of “kids” who one assumed Apollo was about us living in space. We were told in school “One day you can live in space!”. And we waited and waited and it never happened.”
That is when we lost the public. When Gen X realized the promise of Apollo would not come true, NASA ceased to be a priority among the American public. A few of us entered space – those who could get a job with NASA or a contractor, or those who founded their own entrepreneurial ventures. Most simply dismissed space as irrelevant.
Irrelevant is where space will stay as long as there is no direct tie between space and the entire public.
Mr. Hale:
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this very important topic with you and others. Like you, I wonder what type of space program my children and their children will inherit. I am a father of two girls, 6 and 3, who think their dad is very cool because he works on the Space Shuttle. I share your passion about spaceflight, and the benefits spaceflight offers to all people on planet Earth. However, people don’t see space as relevent to their daily lives.
People are more concerned about keeping their job, paying their mortgage, car payments and other bills, putting food on the table, taking care of the kids. When does the average person find time to look up and watch in awe as the ISS flies overhead. Where does the average person go to find out how crops are doing this year or how pollution is affecting their hometown? Do they really care how weather patterns on Mars help us understand how Earth’s weather works? I believe they are more concerned about if it will rain on the weekend and spoil the cookout they have planned.
To achieve sustainable space exploration, we who work in the space industry need to make relevent to peoples’ lives. This will be a difficult task to accomplish, but it can be done (look at the Global Positioning Satellite System and its many uses.) What I want for my children is a day when farmers can use satellite data directly to monitor the health and yield of their crops; when fisherman use satellite data at sea to find healthy ocean areas to fish, and to avoid areas that have been overfished; when we can monitor the movements of surface features along fault zones and predict when earthquakes will occur; when land planners use satellite imagery and GPS tracking of animals to locate new housing developments with minimal impact to animal habitats.
One last point: in the future, I hope my daughters step outside with their children to watch a space station pass overhead, just as I do with them today. I hope they tell their children “people are living on that fast moving star, and they are making new medicines to help many people who are sick.” Then I hope they look up to the Moon, and say “do you know there are people living on the Moon;” and then point over to Mars rising in the east, and say “and on Mars, too.” That’s what I hope for my children and grandchildren.
My favorite quote: If we can dream it, we can do it…
Walt Disney
If we never leave earth, mankind is facing extinction…whether it is tomorrow or 10,000 years from now, only our creator can say for sure. Humanity should explore one of the most basic principles of spaceflight-redundancy. We need to settle off terra firma for the mere fact of our existing in this universe. If we chose not to, we will go the way of the Dodo bird and be lost to history.
Dear Wayne,
This is another “for your eyes only” posting.
I have been watching “When We Left Earth” on the Discovery Channel, and wondered what you thought of it.
You have a unique perspective…that of remembering what you were doing, thinking, and feeling in the program’s early days when you were a kid, and revisiting those days from your current position as a “mover and shaker” in the program.
Perhaps you could share your thoughts and feelings with us in your next posting.
Best,
Dave
Hi my name is Cole, I am 11 years old. I have always wanted to be an astronaut,and one of my dreams has already come true. I am the only boy horse rider at my stables and my 4-H horse club. I have a couple of comments and some qestions on some of your front page articals. like this one. I was wondering why the Olysses probe stop sending transmissions?
Thanks for starting this blog and speaking to us about important issues and informing us about the space program.
Wayne,
It’s so great to hear from you again. Those of us who follow space day to day have missed your honesty and insight, and the unique way you present what you know and think.
It will be a pleasure to read your thoughts every day….and you started your blog on my birthday!
It’s the best present I received.
Another Wayne
“Starting a conversation is hard”
Don't I know it. It has probably prevented me from dating hundreds of beautiful women over the years
The data from space exploration has given us a better planet with a deeper understanding of our living conditions. But for what we know, there is so much more data yet to be collected. We are just starting. We have a lot more exploration that needs to be completed.
Ignoring space and ignoring exploration to other planets will reduce our chances for survival to an incredible degree. It’s not fiction. There is way too much out there to not believe. I don’t think people realize the true value of what NASA has done, in collaboration with many other agencies, and what they all continue to do I really couldn’t (and don’t want to) imagine what life would be like if we never touched space.
It is definitely awe inspiring. Watching as a kid. As a Marine. I am really excited to see what is discovered in future space exploration.
Sandy
Wayne
Last month you drew an analogy between the history of NASA and the life of an individual human. Other lines of thought connected to this idea might be; can a species put its head in the sand? Can our species evolve consciously, rather than following the lead of a lucky mutant gene set? Clearly there are practical reasons for homo sapien sapiens to leave the planet. Are there evolutionary reasons that make space exploration a necessity for your grandchildren? Its hard for me to imagine (because I'm not a science fiction guy) but considering all we don't know and our inability to accurately predict the future in so many fields, e.g., politics, medicine, technology, climate changes it seems like we should do what we can do to move forward or the species may end up as a short-lived set of fossils.