not just science

not just science

Space has to be about more than science, or people just won't be interested. Jeff Foust proposes saving the world, and Hans Starlife calls for a shift in focus in space away from science:

"Even an energetic scientist like Carl Sagan, whom I had the fortune to discuss this topic with, knew that space is about so much more than science. However, most people are terribly shortsighted. Few care about the long-term perspectives presented by visionaries like Sagan, John Young, and now Martin Rees; that our choices stands between spaceflight and extinction.

The solution here is not to engage harder in the human vs. robot debate, presenting better arguments, but rather to shift the entire focus away from this discussion about rewards, creating a new focus. Otherwise, we will continue to face an endless uphill battle. How can we ever “win” the humans vs. robot debate, when the issue at stake not even comes close to our goal of colonizing?"

I think Hans is right. This ties back to the point that Dan Schrimpsher made a week ago; ultimately, space colonization is not about a select few people getting to go temporarily, for the sole purpose of "doing science". It is about getting average people to go, permanently, to do the whole gamut of human endeavour.

I think for most people, the human presence in space means scientists and rocket jockeys, people with very specialized physics and engineering backgrounds. It doesn't occur to them that someone who is an expert on, for instance, concrete, could have a future off the planet Earth. But if space colonization is to ever become a reality, people with expertise in masonry will be essential in order to build and repair the permanent habitats.

Other essential occupations would include farming, cooking, teaching, mining, animal husbandry, veterinarian, medicine, light or heavy manufacturing, textile production, garbage collection, entertainment... name an occupation we have on earth, and we'll need it in space colonies too.

Sector 4 Command had something to say about this idea the other day:

"Looking for life in space (or at least in the solar system) isn't going to excite the masses. Bringing the masses into space... now that's going to excite the masses."

That's why companies like Virgin Galactic and SpaceShot and a host of other similar companies are so important, probably more important in the long run than NASA. They will be the ones who actually bring the masons and farmers and teachers and so on into space.

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