Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Space money will benefit earthlings

After years of neglect and ill-defined objectives, the Bush administration has finally announced a new NASA initiative for human exploration of the moon and Mars. Mr. Watkins of the The Simple Society Alliance for Human Empowerment stated his objections to this program in a letter to the editor.

Mr. Watkins sees the need for earthbound research to produce “dramatic breakthroughs in alternative energy sources” and “cures for a number of debilitating diseases.”

I couldn’t agree more and the new space initiative will contribute greatly to those goals.

Most the technologies we take for granted today have their roots in the carefully crafted technology research carried out as part of the Apollo Program of the 1960s and 1970s.

To renew our manned exploration of the solar system, a new research program will be needed for revolutionary energy sources, medical technologies, and environmental sciences.

Remember that a lunar base must be made as self-sufficient as possible, so it will be a wonderful testing ground for new clean energy systems and recycling technologies that can then be used on earth to reduce pollution.

This technological bounty will come at a relative bargain to the U.S. taxpayer. NASA’s entire budget has remained flat for at least a decade at a level of much less than 1 percent of the total federal budget. The President has proposed a modest increase in the coming years, up from $14 billion to just over $15 billion, to help fund the new initiatives. (To put that budget level in perspective, the Department of Defense’s annual budget is almost 25 times the NASA budget.)

This is a small price to pay for the peaceful exploration of our solar system and the spin-off of dozens of new technologies that will benefit our country.

And remember that every dollar will be spent on earth with both large and small businesses in our communities. So Mr. Watkins we can “meet the needs of the earthbound” by using manned space exploration to push the limits of technology.

R. Steven Justice

Principal

Aviation Science & Commerce, Inc.

www.avscicom.us