Critical Question on Human Space Flight
- Space Exploration remains a good idea, but what is in it for us?
Space exploration has intrigued the human imagination for thousands of years, occupying the minds of famous philosophers like Aristotle and Plato. This permanent print in the minds of the human being can be attributed to our inert desire to find out what lies out there and satisfy our curiosity. Like terrestrial exploration that led to the many discoveries, it is a rational presumption that space exploration will lead to more discoveries. However, five decades of space exploration has not yielded the expected outcome of findings of life and a possible habitable space home for humanity. The space exploration programs have been costly to run yet they are mostly fueled by national pride and fictional imagination, not concrete proof. Due to the minimal benefits that lie for humanity in space exploration, more efforts should be put on exploring the oceans which have equally been under-explored yet require less cost to operate.
- In space programs dominated by robotic spacecraft and landers what remains the role of human beings?
The role of human beings in space programs is mostly management and coordination from the earth. The risk involved in human space flight is too much for human beings given the gravity of adverse conditions in space that even a slight accident could be fatal. Spacecrafts that are meant to airlift human beings to space are also very expensive and highly complicated compared to what would be required of robotic spacecraft and landings. Previously accidents during the lift-off and landing have led to fatalities and near fatalities for astronauts with Challenger and Columbia space shuttles having the most deaths. It remains a matter of the fact that robotic spacecraft are safer and cheaper with capabilities to go to more extremities than human spaceflights.
- How will the US Government respond if China puts an astronaut to the moon?
There have been concerns within the United States government that China would establish a base on the moon for spying. But experts have suggested instead of enabling a cloud of mistrust between the two countries; collaboration should be the way forward for them. Both countries seem to have expensive space programs and cooperation in their moon missions will be beneficial in terms of cost and scale of operations. Space exploration should foster good international relations between countries for the benefit of humanity and not take on the direction of cold war era competition.