Opinion
Bush's Space Proposals are Within Reach
by David Stat
Opinions Staff

If you have been paying attention to the news recently, you are aware that the United States has recently sent two unmanned exploration vehicles, named Spirit and Opportunity, to the planet Mars. Both of these rovers have already touched down on Mars and left their landing pods, beaming back wonderful and intriguing panoramic images of the Martian landscape. The two missions will provide NASA with valuable data on the environment, composition, and history of the planet, hopefully offering a few clues as to whether life existed or even currently exists on Mars.

Amidst all this current excitement in the field of space exploration, President Bush has announced a new set of goals for the country's atrophying, cold-war era space program. The President's vision includes sending unmanned exploration vehicles to the moon by the year 2008 as well as a manned mission to the moon between 2015 and 2020. Some have criticized President Bush's plan as "extravagant" and over-costly. However, President Bush's goals include nothing we haven't seen before. In fact, the budget he is planning on allocating for the projects is extremely limited, with only $1 billion in new funds being set aside for them over the next five years. The rest of the $12 billion budget is to come from NASA's current funds and will most likely involve reallocation and structural reorganization on some level. The president's plan, if anything, is too timid. He is giving NASA between 11 and 16 years to develop a vehicle and launch it in a manned lunar landing mission, something the Apollo team achieved in eight years with no previous development.

It is essential for the preservation of the United States' international dominance to remain the world's leader in technological innovation and to continually be on the frontier of all sciences. Other developed countries, including China, have been making significant developments in their space programs, while our progress is lagging behind. If we as a country wish to remain a world leader, we must not let ourselves be outpaced by potential competitors. Furthermore, the field of space exploration is more important now than ever, with thousands of satellites currently in orbit around the Earth. According to CBS News, President Bush has observed the great benefits derived from space exploration, mentioning advances in "weather forecasting, communications, computers, search and rescue technology, robotics and electronics."

Although Bush's plan was not met with overwhelming approval, it is important to remember that neither was Kennedy's. A recent Associated Press poll showed that people are evenly divided as to whether or not they support the president's plans to expand the space program, and a Harris poll conducted in 1967 received similar results when it asked whether people thought the United States ought to send an astronaut to the moon. Sometimes it is necessary for the country to take actions to advance not only its progress but the progress of the human species in spite of any temporary costs such actions may incur, such as the drawing away of funding from other areas.

A presidential push for a more aggressive space program goes well with the president's agenda of keeping the United States the dominant world power and maintaining America's glory. New advances and discoveries in space exploration will have the effect of bolstering patriotism and national morale, infusing the public with a rediscovered confidence in the capabilities and greatness of our country. Likewise, the new space plan will shift America's gaze more towards the future in a positive way, increasing hopefulness and optimism about the country's future. If our country is bested in the field of space exploration, citizens may become nervous about our future position in the global power landscape, and rightly so. In addition to all the commercial benefits to be had from space research, there are obvious military ones as well. With a national missile defense system already being put into the place, the militarization of space is all but inevitable. Realizing that, America should not be hesitant in assuring it is the sole dominant force in that new dimension of warfare. What better way to pursue that advantage than with peaceful space exploration.

With the partisan divide between the Democratic and Republican parties becoming an element of ever-increasing importance in America's political landscape, it is advantageous for President Bush to focus on policy objectives that are meant to unite the parties (and country) rather than to divide them further. The space program goals he proposes can hardly be described as ambitious and will cost significantly less than the former President Bush's space plan, which aimed to accomplish much more. Hopefully, if the Democratic Party can put aside their blind opposition to every measure proposed by a conservative and the far-right can agree with the timidity of the president's proposal, the extreme divisiveness that currently characterizes American politics will not be a barrier to this policy being put into practice.

The fact of the matter is simply that the American space program has fallen far behind where it should be right now. As a species determined to know every detail of the world and universe we live in, it is necessary for us to invest in space exploration in order to get closer to discovering the secrets of the universe. Perhaps one day soon we will discover extra-terrestrial life -- we are certainly getting closer every year. With all the amazing promise and potential the exploration of space has, we cannot afford not to invest in a national space program.

Page last modified on Thursday, 02-Mar-2006 00:27:42 MST.