Our Future In Space

Because the vision or "image of the future" works in the present, very soon after the acceptance of the vision by a society changes begin to happen. Research is begun that will enable the vision to be realized, investments are made in "new" technologies, people are put to work, discoveries are made. What we soon see happening is that people begin to innovate to find ways to use the discoveries that had not been originally planned, ways to benefit individuals and sections of society that were not even considered in the original plans.

A program like the space program leads to many of these serendipity, "spin-off," benefits, ways our lives will improve because of the advances in technology we will experience learning how to live and work in space? To begin to understand how our lives will improve because of these advances, we need only look at a few of the many ways that our lives are already better because of space research.

Do any of you have, or know of someone who has, a cardiac pacemaker? Without the development of miniaturized solid state circuitry for spacecraft, the pacemaker would not be available.

A very effective fire retardant material now being used in office buildings, plants, and schools was developed because of the research into heat shields for spacecraft.

Have you heard of the device called the Optacon which enables the blind to read the printed page? Again, this is a spin-off of the original research done for the space program.

Solar energy devices, improved insulation materials, safer football helmets, warmer and lighter weight outdoor clothing for skiers and hikers, computer analysis of everything from our automobiles to our bodies, medical detection techniques, help for children with cerebral palsy, and spoil-proof packaging and methods to provide nutritious meals for day care centers and the elderly. These are only a small fraction of the many ways that space research has affected our daily lives; the list goes on and on.

And then there is the potential for the development of an unlimited pollution-free energy source, readily available to all areas of the Earth. Within our region of the solar system, possibly as far out as the asteroid belt, unlimited energy is readily available. This is, of course, solar energy and, within the limits of our technology, it is "free" for the taking. What I mean is, that the investment needed to effectively utilize this energy will only be a small fraction of the value of the energy produced. Once the energy has been produced it will need to be sent to the Earth. Research is being done now to develop effective, safe methods of delivery; early results suggest the use of microwaves or lasers.

Additionally, large deposits of hydrogen 3 have been discovered on the moon. Hydrogen 3 makes it possible to seriously considered fusion as a potential energy source here on the Earth. Fusion is essentially a "clean" method of producing energy that doesn't create the nuclear waste associated with fission. However, initial tests of the process showed that there would be radioactive by-products when "fuels" available here on the Earth were used. Hydrogen 3 could be a solution to this problem. It would be mined and processed on the Moon and then shipped to the Earth for use in fusion power plants. There is enough hydrogen 3 available on the moon to meet our energy needs here on the Earth for hundreds of years.

What if we were to run out of energy or were forced to dramatically cut back on energy usage? What if political tensions in the Middle East were to escalate to the point that would dramatically curtail oil resources? How many of you remember the long lines waiting at the gas pumps a few years ago? Do you remember the heating oil shortages? Do you know what it costs per month to heat a one bedroom apartment in an area of the country where it gets real cold? What if prices were to double, triple, or more? What if sufficient gasoline weren't available? What if we never had hope of supplying sufficient energy to the underdeveloped nations of the world?

Can you think of a single area of your life that is not affected by energy?

- Transportation
- Communication
- Food Production and Preparation
- Manufacturing
- Heating
- Lighting
- Construction

Can you imagine a world without energy problems? Picture sufficient food for all grown in parts of the world, heating and lighting available to everyone, adequate housing, efficient mass transit systems in metropolitan areas, unlimited communication potential. What would a world without energy problems be like? I think it would be a different world. I believe it would be a better world. I know that it is a world within our grasp.

Is the development of space technology worthwhile if it will help to achieve energy independence not only for the United States but for the world? Is it? Think about it. Answer this question to yourself. Is the potential of complete energy independence worth the investment needed for the industrialization of space and ultimately for space settlement? It seems so to me.

Of the reasons for accepting the challenge of space settlement as a goal for our nation, the effect it will have on our image of ourselves and our belief in the future is the most important one. All else will come from that image. The vision of a positive, challenging future for all of humanity will create the wealth and knowledge to accomplish all we can dream of and more. This vision is essential to the health and future of our society.

Humanity has been given a warning by the closeness to which we have come to destroying ourselves and our planet, that we must work in partnership with nature and forget any thought of conquering it. We must go into space with a new consciousness, one that has concern for all of creation, including our fellow humans. We must develop a new attitude in harmony with the universe as we find it. This, too, must be part of our vision of the future.

Additionally, think about the potential impact on the attitude of people on the Earth toward ecology when the total ecology mind set of the space colonist is fostered in those people still living on the earth. In space we must conserve, we know that we are living on a spaceship. That attitude of conservation may well spread back to the Earth with people more readily accepting the concept of "Spaceship Earth" with the limited resources that implies.

One final thought deals with the impact of seeing the Earth as a globe from space. We know that some people, if not all, are greatly inspired by this view and come away "knowing" just how precious and fragile our environment is. There is a good chance that as more and more of us get this view, the impact on how we should be treating the Earth will be spread to others and, again, the concept of "Spaceship Earth" will spread and have an extremely positive impact on the issues of ecology, and conservation.

God has given us the spirit worthy of the challenges that He sets for us and we set for ourselves. He has given us the knowledge we need to find our way, so that the results of our reaching will lead to the betterment of life here and now. As a people, both individually and collectively, we can move forward into a new day that has been shaped by the combined minds of millions of individuals concentrating on this positive future. We must speak of the power to make of the Earth, the birthplace of humanity, a garden again as we accept the challenge to explore and settle the greatest frontier of all time, the infinite frontier, the universe itself.

The images that have the greatest effect, are those images that are positive, challenging, and goal oriented. What image is more positive, more challenging, and more goal oriented than the image of the destiny of humanity to discover, explore, and settle the universe. It is up to each of us to spread this image; our government and institutions cannot lead us on this great adventure into the infinite frontier. They, by their nature, only mirror ideas and feelings that already exist in society. If we are going to create a new vision, then it must grow within each of us. It must grow from the fertile soil composed of strong confident individuals exercising their free voice within the community to work for the future we see as our destiny, to create and share the vision we have of a nation, a world, a universe that we would like to live in.

To end, I'd like you to take an imaginary trip with me. Think about a time when you visited an historical site, like Jerusalem or Boston, Sutter's Fort, Gettysburg, or maybe Kitty Hawk, any place of an historical beginning. Think about the people who lived then and how they felt about the events that took place there.

Now, imagine that you're in a classroom or lecture hall in a city on a planet 25 light years from the Earth. The year is 2522 (about 500 years in the future) and the instructor has just asked the class to identify the original world of the human race. A holographic map of the galaxy appears in the air at the center of the class. You raise your hand. The instructor nods at you, and, using the joystick attached to your desk computer, you move a "flying pointer" through the stars of the galaxy to identify Sol, the sun around which the original planet Earth revolves.

The instructor congratulates you, touches a button on her chair and the hologram view zooms into this single star. You see the ten planets as they revolve in their orbits around it. Again, she looks at you and says, "Which of these planets is the Earth?"

You point to the third plant from the sun, and again the view zooms in. Before you is a brilliant jewel of a world. A world with a magnificent single moon, almost a twin planet system. The beauty of this world takes your breath away. You and the rest of the class have, of course, seen many pictures of the Earth, but you never fail to feel a sense of awe and deep reverence whenever you look at it.

After a moment of silence the instructor speaks to the class:

It was only a little over five and a half centuries ago that humanity first stepped off of the planet Earth and onto another world. That world was the Earth's only moon, and looking back, the step seems to be a small one, only 200,000 plus miles, just a little over what light travels in one second. But remember, until that time (for over 100,000 years) humanity was not able to leave that world; it did not have the knowledge or the means. That moment was the most important moment in our history, the time when it became possible to explore beyond the surface of that single planet, to realize our destiny of bringing life to cold empty worlds, to live in the universe.

What a time to have been alive! What I wouldn't give to have been there on the Earth at that time. Just think of the adventure, the vision, the sense of destiny that must have existed...

The instructor goes on, but the rest of the class is lost in her basic question...What was it like to have been alive when humanity first set foot on another world? What was it like to have been alive when humanity first set out to explore and settle the universe?

Those are the feelings and thoughts that countless generations will have as they think back to the second half of the twentieth century and wonder how it felt to live during that special moment in history when humanity took that first step off Mother Earth and onto another world.

As Mecca is to the Muslim and Jerusalem is to the Christian and Jew, so the Earth will be to future generations of humanity, the place from which we sprang, the holiest of holies for all time.

There is no question that the technology developed will benefit humanity in ways few of us can imagine today, that within this dream is the best possible solution to our energy problems, and that the vision given our society by a goal such as this can only lead to a positive, challenging future.

I believe that we will accept this challenge, that we will ultimately go into space because it is our destiny, and the pull of that destiny is too strong to be ignored.

Copyright 1998, by Brad Fregger