The Best Among Us
This week NASA Astronauts went to the moon for the first time in nearly 60 years. Being an Astronaut is perhaps the most awesome responsibiity we place on humans. They will likely not encounter any intelligent extraterrestrial life in this trip, so what they do up there is a reflection of humanity in its truest sense. We are not sending them for conquest or as missionaries, we are not sending them up to monopolize mineral resources, we are not sending them in the name of any king or country, but for all Humankind.
A brief biography of any of the 4 astronauts currently in the Orion spacecraft will impress anybody. These individuals have already achieved more than most of us hope to accomplish in a lifetime, and I have such immense respect for them. They are carrying my hopes to the Moon, a hope for a planet united in its desire to explore.
I have long believed that Space exploration and a sustained presence in the outer solar system is imperitive for our species. I not only think it is one of many important duties for human, or even the most important duty. I believe it is the only important duty. And how great a gift to all of us to be alive at a time where we can help fulfil the first step.
However, I don't think we will explore the Universe if things are not going well at home. We will not deserve to sustain a permanent Lunar or Martian civilization without a healthy and thriving Earth. This belief doesn't stem from a moral argument, though that is certainly true, but from one rooted in hard pragmatism.
I know this because we have tried this before with the Apollo missions. Once the nationalistic goal of impressing upon the world the strength of a free and democratic society over a tyrannical Soviet Union was proved, the American public chose to retire plans for further exploration, and chose to fund only Earth observation, communications, and defense. Admirable goals, but not enough.
Would NASA be able to continue if the country wasn't bogged down in a quagmire in the jungle? What if the Soviet Union was able to one-up NASA and establish a Lunar Base? And what if the Chinese or Indians weren't busy rebuilding their civilizations after centuries of immiseration and were there to offer real competition?
1969 was a unique moment in time, one unlikely to repeat. Trying to recreate it with 19th century ideologies will lead to the same total war and decline seen in the 20th. It will not gain you any relative strength and will only set us all back.
That is why Artemis is Humanity's most important mission. It brings together the creative enrgy of dozens of nations in a way that acknowledges that that the planet needs to suceed together or we will still fail in our goal. I am inspired every day by the crew of Artemis II, I hope their mission is only the first of a many. Saturn Robotics is driven by the same spirit of exploration that has brought together all these nations to spread coonsciousness throughout the Universe and I hope you will join us in this journey. I love you, Earth.