In light of the recent successful flights by Virgin Galactic and Blue Origins, humanity has been catapulted into a new age of travel and exploration. It has been interesting to read posts, comments, and articles on the subject. Opinions have ranged from those excited by this new era to those who feel space should not be monopolized by “rich playboys with toys.” While I understand both ends of this spectrum, let’s understand what these recent events mean for all of us.
Yes, we can currently book a flight into space only if we are in possession of wheelbarrows of disposable income. But the same was true in the early 1900’s when plane travel was new. And in years before that, ocean going liners were broken into classes. The rich enjoyed multi-course meals served on fine china by white-gloved waiters while those in steerage were literally locked into their area below water line. Didn’t think that scene in the 1997 movie Titanic was real? Think again.
Please realize that these “playboys with their toys” invested hundreds of millions of dollars on this technology. They (and I extend this to include SpaceX, Sierra Nevada, and others) have pushed technological boundaries in launch and systems engineering that NASA and other government-run agencies couldn’t achieve. Not because they lacked the imagination, but because as a Government Organization, their budgets are constrained and managed by outside organizations (for NASA that would be the US Congress), their missions scattered across a suite of goals ranging from Earth Science and Monitoring to Astrobiology and everything in between. Sure, NASA put humans on the Moon in the 1960’s. At that time the entire NASA workforce and budget was devoted directly to that goal. Today, the NASA budget is roughly the same as it was in 1970 and yet NASA maintains the international Space Station, over 25 interplanetary and Earth Orbiting Spacecraft, pure scientific research, and many other programs. It’s not focused on anything beyond “space.”
Historically, all achievements in exploration have started with tentative, short strides. Not just in travel and exploration. In all scientific endeavors. And these achievements enhance all of our lives.
Just look at a few things we take for granted today that are direct descendants of the early days of space travel. Use google maps to navigate around town? That GPS technology was developed for the space program. Advances in nanotechnology. Microwave ovens. Mylar. Kevlar (the effective component of bullet proof vests). Medical equipment. The list goes on.
What’s important to take away from these recent launches, and the ones to come, is the understanding that like Lindbergh and Hughes in the early 1900’s, the race to the poles in the 1800’s, and the race to find new lands in sailing vessels in centuries before, today’s “rich playboys” are doing a lot more than stoking their egos. They are paving the way for humanity to make great advances long after all of us have finished walking on this planet.