is about to be added that is based on the commercial activities of new corporations, forming a new strategic backbone of the US endeavor in space.
Today, what the public is missing is a clear and inspiring objective – the dream –
to return to the Moon or land on Mars, to plant a new flag on the surface of another
celestial body. How is it possible that we have not managed to do so in the past
fifty years? It is a difficult question for those who believe humankind explores due
to its inherently curious nature and who are reluctant to consider the impact of
geopolitics on human actions. For these people, the fault lies in the shortsightedness of political decision-makers, who do not allocate sufficient economic
resources to support this human yearning to travel beyond the Earth.
As discussed, China is making steady progress towards launching its space station into Earth’s orbit, with the long-term aim of landing astronauts on the Moon
by the mid-2030s. Chinese officials say that after a series of robotic missions,
33
they will lay the foundation for a future crewed Moon base. Most likely for this
reason, the US looks again to the Moon with renewed interest. Trump set an ambitious deadline to land a human in 2024. The new administration is now called to
confirm or decline this goal, but in any case, it must plan for possible countermeasures to the Chinese space strategy. NASA and private corporations will need to
overcome formidable technical, political and financial challenges to pull off a
lunar landing in just a few years with the Artemis program. But this could represent more a geopolitical task rather than a scientific one, and it could follow that
LOP-G remains the real US strategic and tactical asset.
In this scenario, a mission to Mars, as strongly supported by Elon Musk, does
not appear feasible within a short period of time. Of course, the general public is
strongly attracted to a mission to the red planet. Even a Hollywood blockbuster
such as The Martian is used by NASA
34
as a flywheel to arouse emotion and public participation. The existence of such a movie even implicitly suggests that in a
very short time, it will be possible to walk on the red planet. The emotional factor
has always been used as a mechanism to garner admiration and approval. In past
years, respected scientists such as Carl Sagan with his bestseller Pale Blue Dot
35
have influenced entire generations by combining space exploration with an almost
religious mysticism and a sense of infinity. This captivating charm of course does
not take into account either the geopolitical reality or the concrete technological
possibilities.
Technology is in fact what makes a human expedition to Mars in the coming
decades very unlikely. At present, space agencies have yet to solve a series of
seemingly insurmountable technical problems. The first is the length of the
33
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/science/china-moon-landing.html.
34
https://nasa.tumblr.com/post/130352836054/the-martian-movie-and-our-real-journey-tomars.
35
Sagan, Carl. 1994. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. Random House.
Mars: Next Stop? 129
Today, what the public is missing is a clear and inspiring objective – the dream –
to return to the Moon or land on Mars, to plant a new flag on the surface of another
celestial body. How is it possible that we have not managed to do so in the past
fifty years? It is a difficult question for those who believe humankind explores due
to its inherently curious nature and who are reluctant to consider the impact of
geopolitics on human actions. For these people, the fault lies in the shortsightedness of political decision-makers, who do not allocate sufficient economic
resources to support this human yearning to travel beyond the Earth.
As discussed, China is making steady progress towards launching its space station into Earth’s orbit, with the long-term aim of landing astronauts on the Moon
by the mid-2030s. Chinese officials say that after a series of robotic missions,
33
they will lay the foundation for a future crewed Moon base. Most likely for this
reason, the US looks again to the Moon with renewed interest. Trump set an ambitious deadline to land a human in 2024. The new administration is now called to
confirm or decline this goal, but in any case, it must plan for possible countermeasures to the Chinese space strategy. NASA and private corporations will need to
overcome formidable technical, political and financial challenges to pull off a
lunar landing in just a few years with the Artemis program. But this could represent more a geopolitical task rather than a scientific one, and it could follow that
LOP-G remains the real US strategic and tactical asset.
In this scenario, a mission to Mars, as strongly supported by Elon Musk, does
not appear feasible within a short period of time. Of course, the general public is
strongly attracted to a mission to the red planet. Even a Hollywood blockbuster
such as The Martian is used by NASA
34
as a flywheel to arouse emotion and public participation. The existence of such a movie even implicitly suggests that in a
very short time, it will be possible to walk on the red planet. The emotional factor
has always been used as a mechanism to garner admiration and approval. In past
years, respected scientists such as Carl Sagan with his bestseller Pale Blue Dot
35
have influenced entire generations by combining space exploration with an almost
religious mysticism and a sense of infinity. This captivating charm of course does
not take into account either the geopolitical reality or the concrete technological
possibilities.
Technology is in fact what makes a human expedition to Mars in the coming
decades very unlikely. At present, space agencies have yet to solve a series of
seemingly insurmountable technical problems. The first is the length of the
33
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/science/china-moon-landing.html.
34
https://nasa.tumblr.com/post/130352836054/the-martian-movie-and-our-real-journey-tomars.
35
Sagan, Carl. 1994. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. Random House.
Mars: Next Stop? 129