Posthuman Blues

A Riot of Rockets

Last week saw the successful launch of the Space Shuttle, but this week may see something far more relevant to the future of space travel: the launch of a prototype piece of a future orbiting hotel. It comes amid an expected flurry of private launches of small, innovative, and reusable rockets that will make 2006 a watershed year for privately financed rockets.

Taken together, these expected launches could usher in an era of relatively inexpensive space travel. "Even as the shuttle sweeps overhead, we have new items on the real road to practical spaceflight -- private market development -- popping up," says Boston-based aerospace engineer and consultant Charles Lurio.

I hate the Space Shuttle. I really do. And I'm the quintessential "space enthusiast," the kind of person NASA tries -- futilely -- to rope in with its tired orbital antics.

However, I've noticed an unfortunate schism develop between proponents of manned space exploration and pure science ventures. The pure science gang wants to forego crewed spaceflight altogether, viewing it as wasteful, dangerous and of little scientific merit. And if they were referring specifically to the Shuttle, they'd be absolutely correct. Fortunately, the Shuttle doesn't epitomize the exploratory spirit; of NASA's own admission, the current manned spaceflight program is essentially a mistake in dire need of revision.





Pure science pundits casually lambaste the Moon-Mars initiative (such as it is) as yet another excessively expensive endeavor -- and with the Shuttle program's history of excess and failure as a timely straw man, their arguments can even sound convincing.

But they fail to realize that the act of getting off the planet -- and staying off the planet in meaningful numbers -- is nothing less than imperative to the survival of our species.

Yes, we could choose to spend less and learn more about the universe through volleys of probes and orbiting telescopes . . . but how much longer will we be around to do so unless we take up the long-overdue task of establishing beach-heads on the Moon, Mars and beyond? Do we dare assume Earth is a permanent haven, magically immune to cataclysm, when the available evidence strongly indicates otherwise?

If we're ever to deduce the Cosmos' origins, we must first rise to the challenge of becoming a multi-planet species.