The Lunar Imperative

Welcome back to Now More Than Ever's Blog! Today I'll be discussing some of the reasons I feel we need to get back to the moon, Now More Than Ever.

Before we launch ourselves into intellectual orbit, take a moment to briefly explore with me the history of life as we know it. So far that means the history of life on earth, as I find no conclusive evidence to support life on other planets yet. (HOLD your flames! I'll deal with Fermi vs Drake in another post, promise. And for the record, I don't count anecdotal evidence.) I know what you're thinking. Just one planet to study, that's a pretty pathetic data set. Sure, I'll grant you that, but for now it's all I've got to work with! Okay, let's go back through the fossil record a moment. If we look we will find numerous examples of species with generally broad requirements being able to adapt more readily to an altered environment after a catastrophic event. This includes species with a broad range of habitat requirements. Conversely those species with a very specific range of habitat have a hard time handling a catastrophe and are more likely to die out.
"In the event of changes, whether drastic or gradual, a species is faced with new challenges. Depending on how specialized it has become to a particular ecological niche, even a minor change may leave a species without the genetic resources (variations) needed for successful adaptation. "
This quote was taken from the following website:
http://virtuallaboratory.colorado.edu/Biofundamentals/lectureNotes/Topic1E_Evo.htm

Okay, zoom back out. Human beings now span virtually the whole of the earth. Good job humans, right? Wrong! It's only one planet folks. Look at any large body in our solar system and you'll find it riddled with impact craters. (Unless it's been resurfaced, but I digress.) And that's just one problem facing planets. Read Dr. Phil Plait's Death From the Skies to find out more. The point I'm trying to make here folks is this: the universe is a dangerous place for a little planet like ours. If we could expand our species to other worlds, even those within our own solar system, our odds of surviving as a species go up exponentially. Makes sense, yes?

Fine you say, so we need to get into space. What has this to do with the moon? We went there, we did that. Now on to better things, yes? Well, perhaps. But I think it would be handy if we had a base somewhere in space. Somewhere close by, so that communication between the people of Earth and the people of the Base would not be delayed over long by that pesky light speed thing. Also, we can build much larger structures, spacecraft etc if we don't have to worry about the cost of launching them from Earth. Add to that the tantalizing discovery of water on the moon, and you've got the perfect platform from which to propel humanity out into the rest of the solar system. And we must start at once. When one considers how long it took us just to get to the moon, there is not a moment to loose. It will take many generations and countless resources to accomplish even a rudimentary settlement on another world. We are not a patient species. Seldom do we follow missions that take even a single decade to complete, so immersed are we in a society of instant gratification. Why should we fund something we may never see come to fruition? I will tell you why dear reader. Because, if you've any desire to save the endangered human species, you will take a vested interest in spreading it beyond our one tiny niche into a broader environment. And it all starts with our dear little moon.

I risk dabbling in politics when I say this, but I do not think the private sector is ready to take on the task yet either. It would be good to get some private companies up there too, don't get me wrong. But let's face it, NASA has far more experience at this sort of thing. Until the private sector proves itself ready to take over space travel full-time, I think we need to maintain NASA's presence in space, and on the moon. Oh, I recognize that the shuttle was completely outdated, and we've been pushing our luck running it this long. But we've known this for some time, why have we not funded a replacement for the shuttle? I have heard President Obama compared to John F. Kennedy. Yet he has made a decision that goes against Kennedy's initiative, and it makes me very nervous. Come on folks, we did it with Hubble, let's raise our voices to speak out in favor of returning to the Moon. We cannot afford to do otherwise.