“It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”– Neil Armstrong, First Man to walk on the Moon
The NASA rover Curiosity, currently conducting the exploration of our neighboring Mars, will receive diminishing coverage as we move farther away in time (and space!) from its landing on the planet’s surface. Though this is understandable considering the troubled times in our country and the length and extensive scope of the mission, the greater good represented by Curiosity far supersedes the effect of the scientific readings it transmits home- barring shocking evidence of extra-terrestrial life.
Aside from the nasty, brutish and repugnant course our current presidential election campaign has taken, there is still the occasional mention of the American people and their capacity to achieve greatness. While this can be viewed as pandering to the electorate, there is still truth behind such words no matter who makes the claim. Curiosity and NASA as a whole represent this optimism- so long as the space program exists in an environment that will advance our knowledge of the galaxy.
Currently, we do not live in such a country. The mismanagement of our federal and local governments’ fiscal state has led our elected officials down a path of chaos, infighting and drastic budget measures that no one can agree on. NASA budget reductions have been so extensive that the United States has shut down its shuttle program on the order of the president. Two months ago, a DRUDGEREPORT headline read Outsourced in Space, reporting accurately that a member of the best and brightest in our space program looked to Russia for a boost to the moon, as opposed to racing them to it on our own rockets.
Despite the abundant evidence in which humanity has been aided throughout its existence by the progression of exploration- from the advancements made in ship building and navigation in 15th century Europe through the Apollo missions of the mid twentieth century- our Federal government has tightened the reins on our chariots of fire. The Curiosity rover cost $2.5B to build, mere pittance compared to the Federal government budget of $3.8 Trillion. This sounds like a mighty big bargain for a 1 ton space explorer that will travel a Martian desert never before seen by man, nor occupied by a carbon based life form. Its main purpose is to send back readings and information to our scientists to uncover if in fact Mars could have ever been populated by a living being. This is important, as our NASA scientists view Mars as we all should: what’s next.
NASA scientists celebrate after the successful landing of the Mars rover Curiosity. These men and women acknowledge the endless possibilities of space exploration. (ABC NEWS)
Mars is what’s next on the map, and that map is incredibly large. Cynics often refer to space as “the endless void”, but it is truly endless in possibility. Endless in the benefits it can yield for the human race. Endless in the worlds we can discover, and what that discovery can mean for our safety and happiness. Endless in what we can accomplish together as a people, giving humanity something to strive for; a common cause that can bring all countries and people alike together. Our generation will most likely never reach these high minded goals, but the advancement in technology yielded by such research will accelerate humanity’s progression. And ultimately, our own selfish need for accomplishment cannot be what drives our thirst for knowledge. The responsibility to lead in this pursuit falls on each succeeding generation, to then ensure its extension for the next.
There are matters our federal government must turn their attention to financially, and with some hard work and a lot of luck we will actually elect officials that will face those issues. There are changes that can be made that modify our entitlement programs that can make them solvent, defense modifications (not across the board cuts) that can help strengthen our security while simultaneously tightening its belt, and ultimately revamp our government so it is not weighed down by bureaucracy and expose our politicians to a dreaded epidemic of efficiency. NASA must not be stifled, as this attempt will then suffocate the progression of mankind. China hopes to be on the moon by 2020. The United States could be there in a year, if we so choose.
The image of jubilation in the Curiosity control room when it safely landed on Mars was not just an overreaction from underpaid NASA scientists. It was a signal that humanity’s thinkers still care about what it can achieve in our never ending quest for knowledge. The United States still leads the world in technology; it is our solemn duty to use that technology for the good of the planet. The best way to do so would be to reach the next closest one.
– John P. Burns
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