Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to You Need A More Technical Approach

But how many can go?
Mary Anne — (archived)

Hi, Mark--

It's not only a technical question. It's a psychological one as well.

How many will get to make a trip to space if the trip is to Mars? As long as space travel and space employment continues to be limited to the elites (scientific, military and financial), it will not engage the minds of the rest of the population. Without that engagement, manned space travel will whither and die.

Consider professional sports, also the realm of an elite. Most of us know we'd never make it in the pros, but most of us will pony up the bucks for what is an impractical product at an outrageous price because we at least get to play the games in amateur venues in our youth. We can identify even if we can't actually play.

If space exploration (which has far more important practical applications than pro sports) remains a fringe activity that no one ever plays except the Chosen Ones, it will remain outside the imaginations of most people. If more of us have the chance to work or visit space, just on short hops or brief business trips, Mars will be more than an intriguing locale for a novel.

Regards--
Mary Anne

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