Friday, May 22, 2009
Spaceman for the new Space Age
The European Space Agency named the next six astronauts this week. Though initially they'll be training and maybe making a quick trip to the International Space Station, they are in line to go further one day, back to the Moon or maybe even to Mars.
One of them is Major Tim Peake, a 37 year old helicopter test pilot from Salisbury. So at last there may be a Brit in space who didn't have to cheat by taking on dual nationality or enter a competition and rely on Russian hospitality and private funding, like chemist Helen Sharman (who was from Mars - the confectioners, not the planet - thus proving John Gray wrong).
Peake's selection has drawn attention to the UK government's miserly stance on space exploration. They decided not to put any money into sending people beyond the Earth's atmosphere, prefering to focus their stingy budget on the cheapest scientific missions and on satellites that can make a short-term contribution to everday life. Not to mention the economy.
There is an argument for sending robots to Mars and beyond, but all the arguments against sending people are bad ones. Yes, human space exploration is risky, expensive and driven by considerations that are more social than scientific or commercial. None of those things should be allowed to hold the human race back.
But it's not just the UK government that should boldly go back into space. It's forty years this July since the first human being set foot on the Moon, and nearly 37 years since the last one departed. Since then we've been hanging around in our own backyard, close enough to see countries roll by and check out the weather over the astronaut's house. That means Major Tim was barely born when NASA abandoned its lunar ambitions. Now China and India have to kickstart a new space race before the richer western nations show any interest in human exploration.
Good luck to you, Major Tim, and to your five fellow astronauts. Go boldly out there on our behalf. You lucky bastard.
One of them is Major Tim Peake, a 37 year old helicopter test pilot from Salisbury. So at last there may be a Brit in space who didn't have to cheat by taking on dual nationality or enter a competition and rely on Russian hospitality and private funding, like chemist Helen Sharman (who was from Mars - the confectioners, not the planet - thus proving John Gray wrong).
Peake's selection has drawn attention to the UK government's miserly stance on space exploration. They decided not to put any money into sending people beyond the Earth's atmosphere, prefering to focus their stingy budget on the cheapest scientific missions and on satellites that can make a short-term contribution to everday life. Not to mention the economy.
There is an argument for sending robots to Mars and beyond, but all the arguments against sending people are bad ones. Yes, human space exploration is risky, expensive and driven by considerations that are more social than scientific or commercial. None of those things should be allowed to hold the human race back.
But it's not just the UK government that should boldly go back into space. It's forty years this July since the first human being set foot on the Moon, and nearly 37 years since the last one departed. Since then we've been hanging around in our own backyard, close enough to see countries roll by and check out the weather over the astronaut's house. That means Major Tim was barely born when NASA abandoned its lunar ambitions. Now China and India have to kickstart a new space race before the richer western nations show any interest in human exploration.
Good luck to you, Major Tim, and to your five fellow astronauts. Go boldly out there on our behalf. You lucky bastard.
Labels: space
