Topic: COMMUNITY INTEREST
America Has Been Snoring
By Tammy Duffy
The launch of Sputnik and subsequent Russian firsts in space convinced many policymakers in the United States that the country was falling dangerously behind its Cold War rival in science and technology. Acknowledging the strategic significance of the "space race," consecutive U.S. administrations made seminal investments in education and scientific research in an effort to meet the Soviet challenge. The United States is one of the only countries that does not have any state supported universities. There is something to be said for that. These investments not only propelled the United States to preeminence in space exploration in the ensuing decades but also planted the seeds for future innovation and economic competitiveness. For many years the investments in space exploration have decreased significantly. Other priorities have taken precedence. In 2013, a different set of challenges and priorities drove the debate over the U.S. space program, which many analysts believe is once again at a critical juncture. America has been snoring it is time to wake up.
God Bless the success of ESA (European Space Agency). They launched the Rosetta spacecraft more than 10 years ago from its Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. Since blasting off in March 2004, Rosetta and its lander Philae have travelled more than 6bn kilometres to catch up with the comet, which orbits the sun at speeds up to 135,000km/h.
This majestic robotic lander touched down on a comet on Wednesday and came to rest on its side in the shadow of a cliff. Think about this for a moment. It seems almost impossible to be true, yet it happened. The team effort of these scientists will propel ESA and the European counties that are members: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom; into a new era. Wake up USA.
Pictures from cameras on board Philae’s lander show the machine with one foot in the sky and lodged against a high cliff face that is blocking sunlight to its solar panels. A jubilant dance possibly. A dance being done with 10 year old sensors. What can be done today is electrically epic with today’s scientific technology. Let’s do it again!
The media has been very focused on the drama of the flight, the solar panels not getting light, the inability to drill due to the fact Philae’s is in a precarious position. The media is missing the bigger story. I have been so excited about this the past two days my spine has been tingling. This is a really huge event. This is right up there with the first walk on the moon. It really is. These kind of epic events drive the success of nation’s economies. It drives innovation and competiveness.
Think about this. This device was launched 10 years ago. If you look at the cell phone and the computer you use today versus what you used 10 years ago, there is quite a difference. These amazing scientists got Philae to land on this comet, take amazing photos and is planned for many other galactic feats. The photos have taken our breath away. Again, remember the sensors are ten years old. They have traveled billions of miles and still work. This is huge. Let us all think about the technology we use today, what we create with an imager be it a camera or a medical device we use sensors and detector. When medical devices are developed there is a team that thinks 10-15 years out in the companies. They develop devices that hopefully someday make it to market. It drives innovation. It drives technology and advancements in medicine.
This 10 year old technology will not only help with the project ESA first launched Philae for, it will drive national innovations in Europe. Every chip, sensor, circuit board, software program etc on Philae can eventually find its way into the devices we find in our homes.
Philae touched down at a near perfect spot on the comet’s surface. This comet as well as others are not small. If one of these comets was on its way to hit earth, it would be a “GAME OVER” event. The fact ESA landed on this comet and secured itself could potentially allow us to “nudge” a comet into a new direction if it was coming to earth to perform a “GAME OVER” catastrophe. This is huge. So, when anchoring harpoons failed to fire, the probe bounced back off into space. So weak is the gravitational pull of the comet, Philae soared 1km into the sky and did not come down again until two hours later. Again another huge event. In the time it took the probe to land for the second time, the comet had rotated, bringing more treacherous terrain underneath. The spacecraft bounced a second time and finally came to a standstill on its side at what may be the rim of an enormous crater. Technically, the agency pulled off not only the first landing on a comet in history, but the second and third too. This is a massive event.
Economic, scientific and technological returns of space exploration have far exceeded the investment. Royalties on NASA patents and licenses currently go directly to the U.S. Treasury, not back to NASA.
Right now, all of America’s human space flight programs cost around $7 billion a year. That’s pennies per person per day. In 2006, according to the USDA, Americans spent more than $154 billion on alcohol. We spend around $10 billion a month in Iraq, $3billion on our pets. I can continue with the comparisons, but I think you get my point.
The debate about the merits of exploring space with humans and robots is as old as the space program itself. There are many arguments that can advance any discussion about the utility of space exploration and the roles of humans and robots.
Space exploration will eventually allow us to establish a human civilization on another world (e.g., Mars) as a hedge against the type of catastrophe that wiped out the dinosaurs. We can explore space and create important new technologies to advance our economy. It is true that, for every dollar we spend on the space program, the U.S. economy receives about $8 of economic benefit. Space exploration can also serve as a stimulus for children to enter the fields of science and engineering. As we all know this is significantly lacking in the USA. Space exploration in an international context offers a peaceful cooperative venue that is a valuable alternative to nation state hostilities. One can look at the International Space Station and marvel that the former Soviet Union and the U.S. are now active partners. International cooperation is also a way to reduce costs. I can only hope the USA teams or better, wants to compete with ESA to help drive our economy and our competitive position in a global context. The national prestige would require that the U.S. become a leader in space. History tells us that great civilizations dare not abandon exploration. There are noble programs being performed by third parties, Virgin Atlantic and Tesla. However, this is not what they do every day as a company. They are distracted by other aspects of their business that give them to create their profitability to allow them to dabble in space exploration. NASA does not dabble, they live it.
There are those who say that space is simply too expensive for the return we receive. However, I cannot imagine any U.S. President announcing that we are abandoning space exploration with and without humans and leaving it to the Chinese, Russians, Indians, Japanese or any other group.
Exploration is intrinsic to our nature. It is the contest between man and nature mixed with the primal desire to conquer. It fuels curiosity, inspiration and creativity. The human spirit seeks to discover the unknown, and in the process explore the physical and psychological potential of human endurance.
The $1.58bn Rosetta mission aims to unlock the mysteries of comets, made from ancient material that predates the birth of the solar system. The mission is so much more than that. In the data Rosetta and Philae collect, researchers hope to learn more of how the solar system formed and how comets carried water and complex organics to the planets, preparing the stage for life on Earth.
Space agencies have sent probes to comets before, but not like this. In 1986, Nasa’s Ice mission flew through the tail of Halley’s comet. In 2005, the agency’s Deep Impact spacecraft fired a massive copper block at comet Temple 1. But none before now has landed. This feat marks a profound success for ESA. Congratulations ESA for a job spectacularly done! The USA is quite jealous.
