Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!cmcl2!lanl!unm-la!unmvax!nmtvax!fine From: fine@nmtvax.UUCP (Andrew J Fine) Newsgroups: net.space,net.columbia Subject: Re: Scuttle the Space Program? Message-ID: <932@nmtvax.UUCP> Date: Sat, 8-Feb-86 23:10:48 EST Article-I.D.: nmtvax.932 Posted: Sat Feb 8 23:10:48 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Feb-86 05:31:12 EST References: <661@tekigm.UUCP> <158@axiom.UUCP> Reply-To: fine@nmtvax.UUCP (Andrew J Fine) Organization: New Mexico Tech, Socorro Lines: 70 Xref: watmath net.space:5753 net.columbia:2264 Let's ask ourselves a few questions: ****************************************************************************** Does humanity (men and women) really *need* to populate space? Do we really need to explore, in person or otherwise, other planets? Historically, exploration and open boundaries only encouraged exploitation, slavery, and genocide of indigenous peoples such as African, American Natives, and East Asians. It widened the gap between the rich and the poor at home, and the massive funds spent on ships and weapons in that previous era caused more people to starve. It also increased the likelyhood of the lawless being able to escape justice, for example Botany Bay and the HMS Bounty. So what do we buy with $2 billion dollars? One shuttle, good for 100 missions (best case) with 7 people each. Or enough food, clean water, and other necesssities to feed Ethiopia for the next ten decades, easily. So what do space-faring nations prove when they invoke national prestige and the desire of humanity to expand, by consuming all that money and men-centuries? "I'm rich enough to do this and you're not, so there!". "My rocket is bigger than yours!". "We are leaving you behind to scratch the dust while we inherit the universe!" One man's glory is another man's humiliation. One man's wealth is another man's poverty. One man's livelihood is another man's serfdom. Why have satellites and information systems at all, except to invade the privacy and keep records on a captive populace? Why have land and weather satellites at all, except to take advantage of another nation's resources and vulnerabilities? Why explore the planets, interesting though they are, except to find more virgin landscape to despoil and riches to plunder? Why put a man, or a women for that matter, in space? What is so special about anyone that we must exhalt that person above all others in such an eletist fashion? Why shouldn't that person be put to a task that serves the world rather than that person's ego? The main problem with all of us is we are still essentially barbarians at heart. The Viking who was the explorer was also the Viking that also raped and pillaged. The Columbus who was the explorer was also the Columbus who converted people to his religion by force. The shuttle pilot who was the explorer was also the pilot who killed husbands, wives, and children in North Korea and North Vietnam. The wanderlust we all experience is just another word for the lust and coveting for the outside world that blinds us to the potentials of the inside world and the darkness of the soul that we need to correct. Do we really deserve to go "out there" when we have such a mess "down here"? Earth is enough for us, if we have the will to cooperate, to transcend the bigotries that confound us, the borders that seperate us, to dare to have peace instead of waging war, to share what we have as far as we can give it without anyone having to pay for it ( the concept of having to work for one's bread is deadly when there is not enough work to go around ), to recognize that the most humble peasant in Mexico or India is worth more to us than the President of the US or the Queen of England. If humanity can simply change from mere descendants of carnivorous apes to something totally gentle, altrustic, and noble, then Earth will be enough. We only try to escape the Earth because we try to escape our own natures. ***************************************************************************** I, personally, am in full support of the Shuttle, the Space Program, and the exploration and exploition of space, and it's eventual population by humanity. BUT NOBODY HAS EVER ASKED US THESE QUESTIONS, NOBODY HAS EVER CHALLENGED US TO QUESTION OURSELVES! We need to be able to answer them, especially if those who have not, question the motives of us, those who have. Somehow, net.space would benefit from a really in-depth discussion of our justifications of our actions in space and thier consequences. Andrew Jonathan Fine.