YSM Issue 86.3

THE FUTURE OF
SPACE EXPLORATION
delving into the final frontier
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by ariel ekblaw
“
easy
because they are , because that goal will serve organize and measure the of our
WE CHOOSE TO GO TO THE MOON.
We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are
hard
BEST
In the 51 years since John F. Kennedy’s
Rice Stadium Moon Address, space
exploration has captured the imagination
of several generations in the U.S. and abroad.
His vision articulated goals much grander than
the moon landing, especially
his intention that as the
“exploration of space will
go ahead […] we mean to
lead it.” Have we fulfilled his
mandate?
We now face a changing
landscape for space
exploration, as industry and
commercialization, rather
than government efforts,
claim a growing share of
aerospace development in
the U.S. Pressure from the
burgeoning Chinese space development
program and our recent reliance on the
Russian Soyuz spacecraft to reach the
International Space Station (ISS) have forced
us to acknowledge a globalizing trend in space
exploration. With exquisite advances in robotics
and remote data sensing,
the glorious manned space
missions of the Apollo era
now share the limelight
with distant probes and
unmanned rovers. Through
several rounds of tough
budget cycles and trying
tragedies, we have at times
postponed the challenge
posed to us by President
Kennedy, though the allure
of space exploration reliably
recaptures our attention,
sparking further discovery and innovation.
”
John F. Kennedy
September 12, 1962
NASA’s Evolving Role
Our modern conception of space exploration
was born during the Cold War. The successful
Soviet launch of Sputnik, the world’s first
artificial satellite, on October 4, 1957 spurred
the U.S. government to create NASA (National
Aeronautics and Space Administration) and
place space exploration high on the national
security priority for over three decades of
fervent technological competition.
Now, NASA shares the opportunity for
exploration with circles beyond their core of
career experts. Through their Microgravity
University, the space exploration behemoth
pulls in young talent, giving teams of budding
aeronautical engineers, astronauts, and space
scientists the opportunity to solve NASA’s
current design challenges. Frank Prochaska,
Manager of the Reduced Gravity Education
energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are
unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to
IMAGE COURTESY OF THE NASA HISTORY OFFICE
John F. Kennedy delivers his
address to send an American
to the moon by the end of the
decade.
win.
12 Yale Scientific Magazine | November 2013 www.yalescientific.org
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