I went to my first NASCAR race last weekend. It was cool, but I’m not sure I liked it enough to be an avid fan. It seems like a whole lot of time, money, risk and energy to end up where you started.
I was struck by something while I was there. What if we were that enthusiastic about Space exploration? My father’s generation (he was born in 1950) witnessed his parents generation spend a huge amount of time, money, risk and energy getting into space, to the moon, and sending spacecraft all over the solar system. All with computers and technology many of us have in our homes today.
Somewhere between my fathers childhood and my children’s childhood, the enthusiasm has been replaced completely by other things. NASCAR is cool, but it’s about going in a circle REALLY REALLY fast. Sounds an awful lot like our current space program.
What can we do to channel some of that enthusiasm and energy into getting somewhere? Maybe sometime in my lifetime even…
I’m very sad to hear that we lost Arthur C Clarke today. He was 90.
Thanks for everything Arthur, we miss you already.
The Google Lunar X PRIZE seeks to create a global private race to the Moon that excites and involves people around the world and, accelerates space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. The use of space has dramatically enhanced the quality of life and may ultimately lead to solutions to some of the most pressing environmental problems that we face on earth – energy independence and climate change.