NASA & America’s Future in Space
June 20, 2008
John McCain recently advocated sending astronauts to Mars, as part of a “better set of priorities” for NASA that would capture the public imagination. Mike Gruntman, professor in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Astronautics and Space Technology Division, contemplates the future of U.S. space policy under the next president.
Q: McCain said he supports a manned mission to Mars. Would that be a good use of resources?
A: I’m happy that one presidential candidate, Sen. McCain, recognizes the importance of our nation having a vigorous space program. Our space program must have a strategic objective, and that requires advancing our knowledge of other planets, studying the sun, observing the universe, understanding the near-Earth space environment and interplanetary space — especially the space weather affecting our numerous satellites. Advancements are vitally important to our comprehension of the world we live in, the protection of our freedom, and our economic competitiveness.
So it would certainly be a good use of national resources, focusing America’s attention on the major challenge, a challenge that can be met by only one country on Earth: the United States. I am confident that a number of countries would join us in that undertaking.
Q: What is America’s future in space?
A: The U.S. economy, infrastructure and national security depend on satellites more than those of any other nation. NASA is focused on traveling back to the moon and beyond. Space assets have become an integral part of military operations and national security.
While space exploration and applications compete for a shrinking portion of federal discretionary funding, space continues to excite new generations of young Americans, future scientists and engineers. We see it clearly in our students in the USC Viterbi School’s Astronautics and Space Technology Division.
Put simply, America’s future in space is to lead the world. In my book Blazing the Trail: The Early History of Spacecraft and Rocketry, I pointed out one critically important fact: Most of the nations aren’t committed to exploration of space and avoid investing resources in space technology. Now that the old Soviet Union is gone, only France approaches U.S. space expenditures in terms of the fraction of gross domestic product (GDP). Most other industrialized countries spend four to six times less (as fraction of GDP) than the United States does.
Q: What changes do you think we will or should see in space exploration strategy under the next administration?
It is hard to say what changes we will see; it depends on the results of the election. I can only say that I would like to see a long-term national commitment to space.
George W. Bush brought focus to NASA programs by challenging the agency to return to the moon and go beyond. Our national security space assets have evolved beyond primarily strategic tasks to include support for ground forces, making us safer and saving lives.
We need increased federal support to space exploration. Of all our federally spent dollars, this funding is among the most useful to our future. The potential return is enormous.
Unfortunately, the national vision for space is found nowhere in the current political discourse of this presidential campaign. I would like the media to ask the candidates pointed questions: What is your vision for space? How do you plan to meet the aspirations of young Americans? How do you foster the spirit of exploration of this ultimate frontier?
Mike Gruntman, USC Viterbi School professor of astronautics, is an expert on space exploration, science and technology. He is a member of advisory panels at NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy and a co-investigator on the NASA Interstellar Boundary Explorer and TWINS missions.
Contact him at (213) 740-5536 or mikeg@usc.edu.