Human Space Flight Worth the Cost
In the recent past, there has been talking in political spheres on the need for human spaceflight, given the fact that robotics involved in space exploration is cheaper and suffer less risk. This talk has been justified by the accidents of the space shuttle Columbia that caused the deaths of seven crew members. The pragmatic view, however, should not to completely give up on human spaceflight but strive to make it worth the cost. The guiding slogan in human spaceflight should be extraordinary cost mandates extraordinary value, and significant risk requires excellent gains. Working around this slogan, the government and the space community should come up with pragmatic reasons that warrant the continuity of human spaceflight that is worth the cost.
The early successes that are attributed to human spaceflight are purely geopolitical that were suitable for the cold war era. Beyond that, there have been minimal gains associated with human spaceflight with most of the discoveries being made by space robot programs. This lack of good reasons for the program has justified the opponents of human spaceflight on their argument to defund the programs entirely. Making the spaceflights faster and longer will provide an avenue for coming up with a purpose for human spaceflight since the limits will be stretched, bringing more possibilities. Scientists have to find a way on how to achieve this condition.
Spaceflight should also be strategic in meeting America’s international interests such as engaging with other nations, leadership in technology, global cooperation and economic development. These strategic goals are long term, and though they work for the greater good of the US, they do not inspire the public and political spheres into supporting human space programs. Consequently, there is a need to formulate a list of objectives that cater to immediate national interests while still matching the cost vs value desirable outcome.