Human Spaceflight Should Drive Evolution

Lee Pullen, Astrobiology Magazine, SPACE.com

Plans for human exploration of the solar system and

beyond often polarize opinions among the public and

scientific communities.

Some believe that humanity should progress outwards 

one stage at a time, while others insist that greater

scientific returns are to be had by launching bolder

missions, with humans exploring the planets sooner rather

than later. Dr. Kai Multhaup, a physicist working at the

Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster in Germany,

is firmly in the "one step at a time" camp, as he recently

explained at Europlanet's Planetary Science Congress.

Solar system dwellers

It is a serious dilemma that faces space exploration policy

makers:

establish a foothold in low-Earth orbit and plan new

manned missions to the moon, or

concentrate on robotic exploration of planets such as

Mars?

Multhaup's stance is clear:

"We were cave dwellers, and now office dwellers. The

next step is for us to become solar system dwellers."

He believes that humans must progress into space, not

only to advance science but to appeal to our natural

sense of adventure and, ultimately, to ensure the survival

of our species.

"Human spaceflight is not just about science," says

Multhaup. "I see it as a driver for evolution. We are an

exploratory species, and when we have the technology to

go somewhere, we do. It's about culture and the human

desire to evolve and expand, and to protect ourselves

against catastrophes which can erase life on planets and

end civilizations."

He believes that there is much to be learned from

prolonged manned missions to the moon, and the

experience is necessary before successful ventures to

more distant worlds such as Mars. "The space shuttle and

station are often criticised," he says. "They have their

flaws, but they are important. You can't take the shuttle to

the moon or attach an engine to the International Space

Station and send it to Mars, because they aren't designed

to explore. They are meant to operate in low-Earth orbit,

and teach us how to live and work there."

Giant leaps for mankind

To date, the majority of solar system exploration has been

conducted by machines. Multhaup acknowledges their

value, especially when probing worlds far too distant to

send humans with our current technology. But, "robots

can only do so much," he says. "They have been a great

success, but there are millions of programmers working

for many hours just for them to roll half a meter and take a

look at something. If you send a geologist to Mars you

could do a whole lot more in a shorter period of time."

Then there is the issue of inspiring the public. Taxpayer

money funds space missions, and while robotic probes

raise interest, nothing captures the imagination quite like

human exploration.

Previous missions to our natural satellite certainly

achieved that, but Multhaup thinks we over-reached. "A lot

of people were inspired by the Apollo missions to the

moon, and of course it was a great thing," says Multhaup.

"But it was like taking the second step way ahead of the

first." He thinks that by rushing to the moon without

establishing a long-term presence in low-Earth orbit, it

was inevitable that the momentum to send humans to

explore space fizzled out.

A vision for the future

So what does Multhaup think would be a sensible

exploration plan? He says

it is important to continue a presence in Earth orbit using

constructions like space stations.

The next step is to establish moon bases, which will

eventually become permanent human colonies.

Next would be a grand mission to Mars, during which the

first human steps will be taken on a planet other than our

own.

After this should come intensive investigation of the

asteroid belt and possibly mining operations to provide

resources for bases built progressively farther out.

Finally, we would move on to the icy moons of gas giants

like Saturn. Ice is likely to be very useful if not essential

for human existence far beyond our home planet, and

moons such as Enceladus could turn out to be like oases

in a desert.

Multhaup is keen to stress that this strategy would almost

certainly take centuries to implement. But by taking things

one step at time in a measured approach, he thinks

momentum will be built up and future progress will be

steady.

Of course, Multhaup's opinion is just one among many.

Some believe that the best approach to the exploration of

space is to always send robots rather than humans, while

others think we should look beyond low Earth orbit and

lunar settlements, and instead focus all our efforts on

sending humans to Mars. Debate about the direction solar

system exploration should take is often fierce, and there

are countless factors to be taken into account, including

the scientific value of missions and the political support

for them. Discussing the issues and weighing the pros

and cons of different approaches today will eventually

determine our future in space.

Science by the Light of the Moon 

Revisiting the Moon 

Video - NASA's Constellation Journey Begins: Part 1, Part 2

轉貼自︰

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090122/sc_space/humanspaceflightshoulddriveevolution;_ylt=Atzd6Rv.k7ZdLVJvtwS5NT4br7sF