Rocket scientist touts benefits of current U.S. space exploration
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For most people, rocket science has become almost synonymous with genius. Perhaps because it was one of the most visible scientific disciplines in the latter part of the 20th century, when the space race was all the rage and rocket pioneers like Wernher von Braun and astronauts like John Glenn and Neil Armstrong became household names.
Those were heady days for the people involved with NASA and the space program. Astronauts achieved the kind of fame usually reserved for movie stars and rock musicians. But after the moon landings, somehow the space program began to lose its luster, to the point that today most people would be hard pressed to name one current astronaut.
But now, with the Mars probe in the news, it seems NASA is bringing a whole new generation into the fold and the idea of exploring the solar system has taken on a new shine.
To understand how the new space race is unfolding, where else would one go but to a, you got it, rocket scientist, like Dr. Gary A. Flandro of the University of Tennessee Space Institute located adjacent to AEDC in Coffee County. The noted scientist was in McMinnville recently to tape an appearance on Public Radio WCPI’s program “Viewpoints, the View from Here,” co-hosted by Bill Zechman and Thomas B. Vaughn.
Flandro, who has been involved in rocketry and space exploration since his days at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories in the 1960s, had some comments on where the science is headed today in light of the renewed interest in the field. Though some in the past have complained the space program has been too expensive, Flandro began by pointing out there have been myriad practical benefits from it.
“The fact is it has already benefited us in a lot of ways, technologically speaking,” Flandro said. “I think the computer is really a big one. A lot of other things, too, have their roots in space flight.”
But aside from the practical aspects, Flandro believes the space program has offered something else of vital importance.
“I think one thing that most people miss is the kind of goal the whole space program gives us,” he said. “It gives us something that humankind really needs, and that is a frontier or sense of adventure. We see much to little of that, I think, in our present way of life. Just the thought of space exploration is of tremendous benefit to mankind.”
Flandro said the Mars probe is worth every penny and will provide us with important data on our nearest neighbor in the solar system.
“The information we’ll get about the conditions on that planet will be really invaluable,” he said. “We’ve had very little information. We had some earlier flights that gave us some pictures, but not anything like this is going to do.”
One of the things man has always pondered is the possibility of life on other planets, and Flandro believes the Mars probe may provide some answers to that age-old question.
“If you’ve seen any of the pictures,” Flandro said, “of some of the marks made when it landed you can see where the soil is turned and it does not look like sand. It looked more like mud. It may be direct evidence that we have a moist soil there, and if that’s true, then our search for life may be right on target. If there’s water, then most scientists would say there is a likelihood of life.”
Dr. Flandro said the renewed interest shown by the current administration bodes well for the future of space exploration. He pointed to a quote from President Bush’s recent speech on the subject as evidence of his support.
“Mankind is drawn to the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn into unknown lands and across the open sea,” Bush said. “We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives, and lifts our national spirit. So let us continue the journey.”