The current administration has made a number of controversialdecisions. Among them is a plan to build a permanent lunar base andto undertake manned missions to our nearest neighbor: Mars.
A number of people have raised the concern that this might be asquandering of the taxpayer’s money, when we could bespending the money on something a little more down to earth (punintended).
The shortsightedness of these naysayers is already evident. Andfor those of you who aren’t convinced that Velcro and Tangare proof enough of the myriad of benefits provided by exploringouter space, here’s one more.
Nuclear physicists and lunar geologists have discovered thepresence of a very special compound in the lunar soil, Helium3.
This particular variation of helium is regarded as a powerfuland non-polluting energy source. It can be used for nuclear fusionbut has extremely little radioactive by-product.
How powerful is the gas, one might ask?
Twenty-five tons of the stuff could power the entire UnitedStates for a year, which is exactly one shuttle’s worth. Forthose of you fossil fuel enthusiasts out there, each ton of Helium3 produces enough energy to make it equivalent to four billiondollars worth of oil. The best part, the substance litters thesurface of the moon.
But Helium 3 is not just in the lunar soil, it is in so manyother places in our galaxy. The atmospheres of both Jupiter andSaturn contain a great deal more of it than the lunar landscapedoes. The moon is just a stepping stone to a great biguniverse.
All science aside, this isn’t just a matter of spending alot of money to go a long ways away only to bring back a few rocks.This is the great quest of our generation.
We have an opportunity to expand the sphere of our influence andunderstanding beyond this little blue planet. It is simplyimpossible to say there is nothing worth seeing out there until wehave been there and seen it.
This is just like the Vikings, Columbus or even Lewis andClarke, who had no idea what marvels the uncharted territory helduntil they saw with their own eyes.
We cannot fathom what the universe holds for us. We must neverthink that striving for something new is foolish or a waste ofresources.
Opportunity rewards those who seek it, not those who stare downinto their own hands wondering what they can fill them with.
