Great minds think alike? - Check out the current Atlantic Monthly

Bill White · 2004-01-10 22:32:03

William Langewiesche is an esteemed reporter/journalist who often writes for Atlantic Monthly. IMHO this magazine is neither excessively left-wing nor right-wing offering interesting articles from a variety of perspectives. Langewiesche has recently written tremendous stuff (controversial to be sure) about the post-9/11 clean-up operations and on the Shuttle Columbia disaster. For those unfamiliar with the Atlantic Monthly, google is your friend. :;):

Anyway - the current issue arrived in my mailbox today and Langewiesche has written an interesting brief column about the future of America's space program. I suspect he was been on the inside of stuff we are just now starting to learn about.

What I was pleased to see was his take on what the focus of humans in space should be. The title of the piece is A Two Planet Species - The right way to think about the space program.

He asserts that the question that underlies ALL thinking about the space program is whether humanity should or should not become a two planet species. He does not give his answer, and merely asserts that this question affects all others.

I agree with this, as those who have read me here already know, and my answer is a resounding YES. Spacefaring species conceive, bear and raise children at multiple celestial locations. Its that simple, and all else is but minor detail. Langewiesche also writes that the answer to this question will unfold over centuries and I agree with that point as well.

In light of this question, many other questions become minor quibbles or details. MarsDirect or Mars24 or Aurora? So long as we do one or another, it may not matter. This underlying question will not be answered by the end of President Bush's second term, and perhaps will not be answered within my lifetime.

Yet sooner or later, this reason for doing space, not science, not profit, not military hegemony, is the ONLY reason that will interest and fascinate the majority of humanity.

Military space? Its cool, just like it was cool to watch who got the Joint Strike Fighter contract, but I will never spend part of a Saturday night worried about which X-fighter gets the $8 billion contract from the Pentagon. Aerospace executives will do that but very, very few of the rest of us.

Science space? Its cool too, but for THAT purpose robots are better bang for the buck.

Commercial space? Except for com-sats, no investment in space will return a reasonable profit for maybe 50 or 75 years. Or longer. IMHO at least.

So - its all about the kids. Should our species someday come to the point where we conceive, bear and raise our children at multiple celestial locations, or is that the wrong direction for humanity to choose to go.

That's really the ONLY mission-critical question. IMHO as always.

Bill White · 2004-01-10 22:40:56

P.S. - - Also IMHO, whichever subset of humanity leads us to settle a second world (IF that happens) will have a HUGE head start on the demographic domination of the solar system.

Isn't that a pleasant bed-time thought?

(Don't shoot the messenger, its not my fault this is true, I merely noticed it. . .)

Palomar · 2004-01-10 22:57:01

What I was pleased to see was his take on what the focus of humans in space should be. The title of the piece is A Two Planet Species - The right way to think about the space program.
He asserts that the question that underlies ALL thinking about the space program is whether humanity should or should not become a two planet species. He does not give his answer, and merely asserts that this question affects all others.
I agree with this, as those who have read me here already know, and my answer is a resounding YES. Spacefaring species conceive, bear and raise children at multiple celestial locations. Its that simple, and all else is but minor detail. ...
In light of this question, many other questions become minor quibbles or details. MarsDirect or Mars24 or Aurora? So long as we do one or another, it may not matter. This underlying question will not be answered by the end of President Bush's second term, and perhaps will not be answered within my lifetime.

*I consider it an eventual "given," and not much of an issue at all; I certainly don't have any moral or ethical qualms about it (at least I don't recognize any in myself currently). The only thing I'm wondering is WHEN it will happen (how much longer...; sorry, don't want to start beating a dead horse).

--Cindy

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#1 2004-01-10 22:32:03

Re: Great minds think alike? - Check out the current Atlantic Monthly

#2 2004-01-10 22:40:56

Re: Great minds think alike? - Check out the current Atlantic Monthly

#3 2004-01-10 22:57:01

Re: Great minds think alike? - Check out the current Atlantic Monthly

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