Throughout human history, space exploration has served a wide range of purposes. It has increased knowledge, symbolized national power and prestige, provided a source of profit and utility for humans, advanced science, aided military technology and, in some cases, enhanced the quality of life for people on Earth. But the fundamental reason to explore space has always been to see what’s out there, which is why the call for humans to voyage beyond Earth to places like Mars will not fade in our hearts.
Until recently, only government could afford the tremendous costs of launching people and machines into space. This limited the scope of space exploration, but it also ensured that the benefits derived from space travel reached all segments of society. Government-funded space programs have made countless technological contributions, from satellites that provide global telecommunications to the astronauts on board the International Space Station who conduct research about everything from plant life in orbit to human biology.
Space exploration has shaped our planet as much as it has shaped us. It has inspired artists and writers to describe what it is to be human in the vastness of space. It has fueled scientific discoveries, improved our ability to predict natural phenomena, provided new opportunities for business and even created the very idea of time, as described by author Tom Wolfe in his classic book The Right Stuff.
Space exploration has been fraught with challenges, including many tragic losses of lives, starting with the deaths of three cosmonauts in a Soyuz capsule on its first flight and ending with two Space Shuttle missions, the Challenger and Columbia, lost on re-entry. But the quest to reach out into the stars is far from over, as evidenced by the fact that the United States and China are currently engaged in a competitive race to land their crewed missions on Mars.
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