The media is dismissive of the efforts of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic by referring to their work as space tourism and calling it the “billionaire space race.” This label minimizes their companies’ work against the original space race that started when the Russians launched the first orbiting satellite and then effectively ended when the Apollo 11 astronauts landed and walked on the moon. At their worst, the media brand commercial missions "stunts." These may seem like flights of fancy because of the personalities involved, but they are critical in our country’s continued presence in space exploration.
The space industry is not just about tourism. It has become the backbone of our country’s space exploration efforts and should be given the attention and support it deserves. NASA is turning low earth orbit over to commercial industry and intends to construct a long-term presence on the moon and send astronauts to Mars with these business partners.
It’s dangerous for us to cede space exploration to Russia and China. The International Space Station, built with our involvement, is now eight years beyond its expected 15-year lifespan. It has become the space equivalent of the tired minivan leaving a puddle of fluids in the driveway that the owner hopes will last one more year because they can’t afford to replace it. Earlier this year, the Russians and the Chinese partnered to someday build an international lunar scientific research station. Currently the Chinese are constructing their own orbiting space station. Although the original space race used the highly inflated threat of Russia attacking us from space as a reason for its work, Russia and China’s conducting military operations from earth's orbit is a genuine threat.
Critics of the government and private industry's involvement in space exploration say instead of reaching for the stars, the United States should solve the earth bound problems of hunger, poverty, and climate change. Realistically, solutions to these problems could come through space exploration and its accompanying research. Elon Musk admits that 99% of our efforts should go to solving these problems but strikes an insightful and inspirational chord when he says, "If life is just about problems, what's the point in living?"
Kids around the country are rising to the challenge of tearing soap dishes off walls and toilets off the floor because of continued media attention. Maybe the media would serve us better if they turned students' attention from the stalls to the stars.
