A $700 billion bailout (excuse me, "rescue") package. Retirement accounts in jeopardy. Mortgage crisis in America.
We're definitely entering some tough times. Given the state of the economy, how can we spend money on space exploration?
There's this deep fighting spirit inside of me that thirsts for knowledge--breaking boundaries of traditional thought, reaching for something higher. On one level, it's almost absurd to think how much we limit ourselves because of money or time. I mean, if we can accomplish the unbelievable, why don't we?
We're coming up on the 40th anniversary of when mankind first stepped onto the surface of the Moon. 40 years! Since then one could easily argue than manned space exploration has nearly stagnated, or it at least has not acheived what we would have believed possible given those first few steps on lunar soil with antiquated 60's technology.
Yet it is amazing what we've accomplished with unmanned space exploration. Rovers on Mars, spacecraft plunging through the dense atmosphere of Jupiter, a Titan lander. Currently we have created artificial satellites which orbit Mercury Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 gave us our first closeup looks of Uranus and Neptune years ago, while New Horizons speeds its way towards an encounter with Pluto in 2015.
And all of this accomplished by NASA and other countries around the world.
But now, back to the economy. It's hard to imagine those incredible journeys through space when we have to be concerned about taking care of our families. Do we have enough food? Are we still paying off debt? How secure is our job anyway? And what about retirement?
It's getting incredibly hard to accept why we should fund programs like NASA when there are so many problems at home. But then again, the same was said when Neil and Buzz were trecking along on the Moon.
Will there ever be a point when we can solve all of our problems on Earth, then clearly and peacefully take the next steps to explore beyond our blue planet? If history is taken into account, that may never happen. Time is repleat with instances where humanity has suffered and others sacrificed to help. Yet the trend continues. Certainly though the baseline of humanity has gotten better, hasn't it? Debateable.
I don't want to suggest that we all dig deep into our pockets to keep space exploration alive. Personally I'd like to see more support from businesses instead of taxpayers to fund the effort.
It's just hard to imagine a world where the spirit of exploration is drowned out because of money concerns. Especially when it seems like the more money is taken, the more it is wasted. We're supposed to be more efficient than ever, aren't we?
Earth's problems may never be solved completely, but pushing ourselves to new challenges and opening the door to exploration can energize and awaken the passion of adults and children alike. There's still a generation out there that grew up amazed that mankind walked on the Moon. Let's impress the next generation--keep space exploration going, manned or unmanned. It's worth every penny, literally.