50 Years Later – What now?

July 20, 1969, a date that shall ever be remembered for when mankind took it’s first step in becoming a space faring race. The moon landing proved that great things can be accomplished when people look to the future and work together to make their dreams come true.

Landing men on the Moon required a large commitment of resources ($25 billion; $153 billion in 2018 dollars)^[1]. At its peak, the Apollo program employed 400,000 people and required the support of over 20,000 industrial firms and universities.^[2]

The general public’s commitment to the space program is a fraction of what it was 50 years ago. People today are more interested on other matters. What is needed is a clearly defined goal. During the 1960’s the goal was to beat the Russians to the moon. The interest in manned space flight declined after we accomplished this goal. The public was not inspired by what the future could bring but by beating an enemy.

What is needed is to rekindle the fire of imagination in the public. We need to bring to the forefront the dreams and aspirations for a better future. We need to show the public how the space program can personally make their lives better. Whether that motivation be economic, technological or just personal, the inspiration needs to be multifaceted and long term. We shouldn’t rely on goals that are just a single goal such as landing on the moon again or on mars. We need to set long term goals that fosters the creation of a dream for a better future.

If we can create that dream in the general public I believe that we will be able to solve many of the problems that currently effect our society and bring about a bright and promising future.