As Americans ponder and fret about our present and future on this planet, it is inspiring — and harrowing — to hear so much news lately regarding space exploration.
For millennia, humans gazed skyward and wondered what is up there, what the surface of the moon is like (hint: it’s not actually cheese) and whether our species ever would explore our skies. And then we decided to find the answers.
The initial moon landing in 1969 was a monumental testament to human will and achievement. That was followed over a handful of years by five additional crewed landings, bringing to 12 the number of humans who have walked on our planet’s only natural satellite.
It has been more than 50 years since a crewed vessel landed on the surface some 238,000 miles away, yet our interest in space exploration has not waned.
So it is notable that SpaceX is hoping to launch a crew of four into space in what Vox.com describes as “a daring mission that will test new technology, expose astronauts to high levels of radiation, and potentially change how future spacewalks are conducted.”
The privately funded mission, called Polaris Dawn, is carrying the crew inside the Van Allen radiation belts some 800 miles from Earth. It is the deepest space exploration by humans since the most recent trip to the moon in 1972.
While the launch was delayed Wednesday and has not been rescheduled, the ambitious mission reflects our species’s continuing fascination with exploration and innovation. As crew leader Jared Isaacman said: “We hope the results from our mission will accelerate SpaceX’s vision to make life multiplanetary. Throughout our mission, we will aim to inspire humankind to look up and imagine what we can achieve here on Earth and in the worlds beyond our own.”
If crew members reach their destination, they will conduct spacewalks that will test new spacesuits, operation protocols and life-support systems. And those of us on the ground have been reminded lately of how precarious and unpredictable space exploration can be.
In June, two astronauts aboard Boeing’s first Starliner Crew Test Flight arrived at the International Space Station for what was expected to be an eight-day stay. They still are there, as the company has worked to resolve technical issues with the spacecraft. On Saturday, officials announced that the ship would return home without a crew, and the astronauts will be retrieved in February by a SpaceX craft.
Should the crew return safely to Earth, it will be regarded as a successful failure — a mission that goes haywire but is not catastrophic. And the fact that a way station exists to provide safe harbor — and that another private company is available to send a rescue ship — represents remarkable advancements in space exploration.
The ultimate destination for such exploration is unpredictable. The first hot-air balloon ride was recorded in 1783; the first airplane was invented in the late 1800s; and until some 65 years ago, it was inconceivable that humans could explore beyond our atmosphere.
Now, the Polaris Dawn mission is expected to clear the way for other advancements. “You know, there’s going to be an armada of starships arriving on Mars at some point in the future,” Isaacman said, “and those people are going to have to be able to get out of it and walk around and do important things.”
Soon, hopefully, the Polaris Dawn mission will represent another step in that journey.
