激情快播

Phil Metzger 鈥�00MS 鈥�05PhD was like聽most boys in the 1970s. On clear nights聽he鈥檇 look at the moon and a faint red dot 鈥斅燤ars 鈥� and wonder what it would be like聽to touch them. He also contemplated a聽question people have asked for millennia:

鈥淒oes life exist out there?鈥�

The Metzger family lived in Titusville,聽Florida, so even before he started a聽29-year career at NASA or thought of聽working as a planetary scientist at 激情快播,聽young Phil saw with his own eyes what聽other kids could barely picture in their聽daydreams. Rockets. Power. Progress.聽Right outside his bedroom window.

鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to work on聽anything that involves people walking聽on the surface of another planet,鈥� he聽says. Metzger has done so much studying聽and testing over the years that he can聽confidently answer the ancient question聽about if life exists out there.

The lives out there will soon be ours.

鈥淧eople in this field are convinced great聽things will happen in the next 10 or 20 years,鈥澛燤etzger says.

NASA, with more than 50 years of research聽support from 激情快播, has built up the Artemis program聽鈥� with the goal of establishing a sustainable human聽presence on the moon and preparing for missions聽to Mars. Congress has asked NASA to send humans聽to Mars by 2033. SpaceX founder Elon Musk believes聽his company, which has a deep roster of 激情快播 alumni,聽will send as many as a million people to build a city聽on Mars by 2050. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos聽launched Blue Origin in 2000 with the idea that聽millions of people will soon be living and working聽in space.

鈥淭his will affect all of us, whether we want it to聽or not,鈥� Metzger says. 鈥淲e need to be proactive and聽ensure that life in space has a good outcome.鈥�

That means we could have a limited time to figure聽out some of the biggest questions humankind has聽ever faced 鈥� or until now, has never faced.

The Question of Purpose

Political Science Professor Roger Handberg began聽working at 激情快播 in 1972, the same year as America鈥檚聽last Apollo flight. Since then, Handberg has paid聽close attention to the Space Shuttle鈥檚 development,聽the deployment of a space station and updates from聽robots collecting data on Mars. As far back as the聽early 1990s he had the foresight to interlace his聽expertise in space history with a specialization in a聽rare niche for that time: space policy.

鈥淭echnology is moving fast,鈥� Handberg says, 鈥渂ut聽our imaginations move faster. That鈥檚 what fuels space聽exploration.鈥�

鈥淭echnology is聽moving fast, but聽our imaginations聽move faster.聽That鈥檚 what聽fuels space聽exploration.鈥�

鈥� Roger Handberg,聽professor of political science

Handberg doesn鈥檛 doubt there will be some sort聽of habitation beyond Earth within 100 years, but聽he does wonder if there鈥檚 been so much imagining聽about getting there and sustaining life there that聽we鈥檝e neglected how to make life there worthwhile.聽As astronomer Carl Sagan wrote more than 40 years聽ago in his book Cosmos, 鈥淭here will be a time when聽Mars is all explored 鈥� a time after rovers have聽combed the surface 鈥� a time after human beings聽have walked the sands of Mars. What then? What聽shall we do with Mars?鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 still a good question, even with all the聽progress we鈥檝e made,鈥� Handberg says.

In the 2015 movie The Martian, Matt Damon鈥檚聽character spends his time on the red planet trying聽to survive. He grows food. He explores. He figures聽things out to save himself and make life a little more聽predictable for the next person who dares to travel聽to Mars.

鈥淭hose scenes were inspired from the work we鈥檝e聽been doing for decades,鈥� says Kathleen Loftin聽鈥�89 鈥�00MS 鈥�09PhD, center chief technologist at聽Kennedy Space Center. 鈥淭he purpose is much bigger聽than basic survival. It ties back to cleaning up Earth聽and minimizing our use of resources here.鈥�

When Handberg began teaching at 激情快播 50聽years ago, the United Nations estimated the world聽population at 3.8 billion. In November 2022, the聽number touched 8 billion.

鈥淲e鈥檙e on a planet, a fixed sphere, with a limited聽surface area and limited resources,鈥� Metzger says.聽鈥淲e can鈥檛 continue to demand more from this planet.聽But if we gather resources from other spheres, then聽we can live abundantly and solve problems here on聽Earth at the same time. We wouldn鈥檛 have to choose聽one or the other.鈥�

Metzger says he believes 100% of the energy sector聽and 50% of our entire industrial footprint could be聽moved off this planet by 2100.

鈥淭he purpose is聽much bigger than聽basic survival.聽It ties back to聽cleaning up Earth聽and minimizing聽our use of聽resources here.鈥�

鈥� Kathleen Loftin 鈥�89聽鈥�00MS 鈥�09PhD, center chief聽technologist for Kennedy聽Space Center

鈥淚 know it sounds like utopian idealism,鈥� Metzger says, 鈥渂ut there鈥檚 an engineering basis behind it.鈥� And then, as it is with any utopian thought, he adds a disclaimer. 鈥淲hen it happens 鈥� when we鈥檙e able to access resources in space and an economic revolution is upon us 鈥� it鈥檚 likely to create political, ethical and societal upheaval.鈥�

Even if we鈥檙e living on another world, one thing remains the same.

鈥淲e鈥檙e human,鈥� Metzger says, 鈥渁nd we have a spotty record.鈥�

The Question of Control

On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong famously planted an American flag on the moon. It was a symbol of arrival, not ownership. The United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union had signed an Outer Space Treaty two years earlier 鈥� a time when world powers were testing nuclear arms arsenals as shows of force. To help allay fears of global annihilation, the treaty says the moon and other celestial bodies cannot be claimed, or as President Lyndon B. Johnson said at the time, 鈥淭he moon and our sister planets will serve only the purposes of peace.鈥�

More than 100 countries have signed the treaty, with 89 more lined up to do so.

鈥淭he hope is that representatives of humankind will populate space, and we鈥檒l treat each other for common good,鈥� says History Professor Amy Foster. 鈥淏ut will we?鈥�

The Outer Space Treaty was written at a time when this entire conversation was ground level. It has only 17 provisions to cover possible conflict in the entire universe. (By comparison, the Law of the Sea Treaty includes 320 provisions.) If even a few countries participate in a community and lucrative industry on Mars, who governs?

鈥淲hen it happens, when we鈥檙e able to access resources in space and an economic revolution is upon us, it鈥檚 likely to create political, ethical and societal upheaval.鈥�

鈥� Phil Metzger 鈥�00MS 鈥�05PhD, 激情快播 planetary scientist

Foster points back to one of the first attempts at a goodwill gesture in space: the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Publicly, the world watched crew members from the U.S. and the Soviet Union carry out the famous 鈥渉andshake in space鈥� to show the two superpowers could work together. The project, however, wasn鈥檛 as harmonious as it looked.

鈥淣either country was willing to accept the female side of module on the docking station,鈥� Foster says. 鈥淭hey had to develop a mechanism so both sides could meet on their own terms. It should have been this great moment, a sign of d茅tente. But instead it became this test of machismo and raised underlying tensions between the two countries.

鈥淭hink of all the countries that want to participate in a space community. There are bound to be political differences, and I鈥檓 not sure you can leave them behind on Earth.鈥�

鈥淭he hope is that representatives of humankind will populate space, and we鈥檒l treat each other for common good. But will we?鈥�

鈥� Amy Foster, professor of history

Power-hungry rulers have been threats throughout our history, and any strategic mission to dominate space would negate the intent of inhabiting it.

鈥淲ork is being done to make sure we have a system in place rather than allowing pure power to take over,鈥� Metzger says. 鈥淭he consensus is that we don鈥檛 need a new space treaty, but it could be a thorny path.鈥�

In anticipation of that path, the U.S. established its sixth military branch, Space Force, in 2019 to defend our security and prosperity in space. It signified thatspace is a defined domain. Historically, new domains are what nations fight over.

鈥淭he biggest concern in space isn鈥檛 an attack on people or land,鈥� Handberg says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the possibility of an attack on satellites. If our satellites are taken out, we鈥檙e looking at a whole different ballgame.鈥�

It would be devastating because without satellites we鈥檇 all be sent somewhere we never thought possible: backward.

The Question of Equity

In the weeks after the Apollo 11 crew returned from their trip to the moon 54 years ago, they traveled to two dozen countries so people could see them with their own eyes. People from all socioeconomic classes celebrated them 鈥� from Africa to Mexico to Thailand.

However, when Bezos took flight from the desert of west Texas, people in the nearby town of Van Horn watched the rocket with a mix of awe and indifference.

鈥淭his ride is only for the wealthy,鈥� one local shop owner said.

Metzger says that perspective, perhaps more than anything else, must change.

鈥淥ur presence in space will need to create opportunities for people from all walks of life, from all over the world. It鈥檚 a legitimate concern because the only way for democracy to survive is if everyone owns what we do in space.鈥�

So far, we鈥檝e seen a short parade of the world鈥檚 richest people take very expensive trips to the edge and beyond. A ticket to travel 50-some miles up on Virgin Galactic costs $450,000. Passengers on Blue Origin鈥檚 NS-22 mission last summer paid $1.25 million for the 10-minute ride. Musk says a ride on SpaceX will soon be 鈥渞elatively affordable鈥� at $100,000 per seat.

鈥淯nless someone figures this out, we run the risk of going back to the colonial view,鈥� Handberg says. 鈥淭he strong get stronger. The rich get richer. The poor suffer. We鈥檝e already seen what happens with a digital divide. A space divide would create a much wider gap.鈥�

More flights will eventually begin to mitigate the cost of the technology, which should bring the prices down. The real value, however, isn鈥檛 the travel experience, it鈥檚 the mission of tapping into resources beyond comprehension.

鈥淯nless someone figures this out, we run the risk of going back to the colonial view. The strong get stronger. The rich get richer. The poor suffer.鈥�

鈥� Robert Handberg, professor of political science

鈥淭here will be mining in space, and that can be good for all of us,鈥� Metzger says. 鈥淭he resources in our solar system will keep us from depleting what鈥檚 available on this planet, and for the first time ever there would be an energy surplus for everyone.鈥�

Researchers say there are at least a billion times more usable resources in space than on Earth. A NASA spacecraft is scheduled to explore the asteroid belt in the next three years, including one asteroid called Psyche, which some scientists until recently believed could hold metals worth trillions or quintillions of dollars. Imagine that 鈥� and then imagine what people would do to be first to the treasure troves.

If an asteroid worth a fraction of a quintillion is discovered, who would own it? President Barack Obama signed a space resource law in 2015 that allows any company to own the resources it extracts, but not the land 鈥� which no one can own under the original Outer Space Treaty. Other countries, including Luxembourg, have passed similar laws.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like the law of the sea,鈥� says Metzger. 鈥淚f you catch a fish, you own the fish. But you can鈥檛 own the ocean.鈥�

The very idea of mining brings to mind the working class. But something will replace manual labor and socioeconomic groups in space.

鈥淩obots,鈥� Metzger says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 possible that enough robots could be built to do a million times more of the total work than humans can do. We can鈥檛 even imagine the capabilities. That鈥檚 what will make this type of civilization possible in space while also making life here better.鈥�

Yet the question of ethics lingers.

鈥淚 try to be pragmatic,鈥� Foster says. 鈥淭his could be good for humanity as a whole, but technology won鈥檛 make that decision.鈥�

People will have to do that, whether they鈥檙e here on Earth or 67 million miles away.

The Question of Environment

Only 12 people have ever walked on the moon. Yet there is believed to be as much as 400,000 pounds of waste there such as lunar landers, backpacks, boots, shovels, a hammer and even bags of fecal matter.

鈥淭he technology being developed will minimize the need to take things with us,鈥� Loftin says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e learning to live off what鈥檚 there because environmental cleanup is one of the inspirations behind everything we鈥檙e doing.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e learning to live off what鈥檚 there because environmental cleanup is one of the inspirations behind everything we鈥檙e doing.鈥�

鈥� Phil Metzger 鈥�00MS 鈥�05PhD, 激情快播 planetary scientist

Metzger鈥檚 work has helped advance the ability to make rocket fuel from lunar ice rather than transporting it from Earth. Instead of discarding inoperable machinery on the moon or Mars, the robots will repair other robots.

鈥淭he idea is to send nothing to space that will create waste,鈥� Metzger says.

鈥淢other Nature will survive, but she doesn鈥檛 care if she brings us along for the ride.鈥�

鈥� Amy Foster, professor of history

The craft that took Bezos to space operated on liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, generating next to zero carbon emissions. On the other hand, a lot of energy is required to build rockets and make the fuel. Scientists also know that every rocket is a threat to our ozone layer. All of which launches another consideration: How much of Earth鈥檚 environment and atmosphere need to be compromised to save it?

鈥淢other Nature will survive,鈥� Foster says, 鈥渂ut she doesn鈥檛 care if she brings us along for the ride.鈥�

Unknown Answers

For laypeople, the uncertainties away from Earth seem as endless as the stars in the universe. Will we live in spacesuits? What if they tear? If we can鈥檛 survive climate change of several degrees on Earth, how will we survive daily temperature swings of more than 100 degrees on Mars? What about the massive amounts of radiation outside our atmosphere? Will people go blind?

鈥淚t鈥檚 a Pandora鈥檚 box,鈥� Foster says. 鈥淲ith technology, there are always unintended consequences. There鈥檚 no way to predict what they might be because we don鈥檛 know for what purposes people will use the technology. And the technology we鈥檙e talking about is beyond anything we鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�

Metzger vividly remembers the moment that opened his eyes. It was just 13 years ago during a field test on Hawaii鈥檚 Big Island. He was about to be honored as Kennedy Space Center鈥檚 Scientist of the Year, but he still harbored some doubts about where a lifetime of research was headed until he stood on top of the dormant volcano of Mauna Kea at sunrise. He looked around at researchers who鈥檇 come from all over North America with a small team of robots trudging around the otherworldly scene.

鈥淭his is going to happen away from Earth,鈥� he remembers thinking. Then another realization struck. 鈥淲e only have so much time to make sure we get it right on this planet.鈥�

With every passing moment the gap shrinks between life here and life there. Soon they will be one and the same.