Cosmic cheerleaders drive the human space program, despite lethal hazards, says new book
NASA and a cadre of self-serving cosmic cheerleaders are key to promoting the human space program, despite voluminous scientific evidence that deep space is a lethal environment, and that the public does not support deep-space missions. This, according to the new book Earthbound: The Obstacles to Human Space Exploration and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence. These groups include self-serving politicians, profit-seeking aerospace corporations, billionaires with space visions, and naïve space travel enthusiasts.
NASA’s emphasis on human space exploration arises from its own calculation of political benefit, wrote Meredith: “NASA’s prioritizing of human spaceflight—to which it devotes almost half its annual budget—reflects a somewhat cynical adage coined decades ago: ‘No Buck Rogers, no bucks.’”
However, NASA has recognized the severe, unsolved “Red Risks” of human space travel, including the health effects of space radiation, vision problems, behavioral health and performance decline, and inadequate food and nutrition. And, researchers have conceded that they cannot reliably estimate the medical risk of deep-space missions.
What’s more, wrote author and veteran science writer Dennis Meredith, “In trying to understand space travel’s biological effects, scientists are trapped in a cosmic catch-22. They cannot be sure that humans can survive in deep space until humans are sent on deep-space missions. But they cannot confidently send humans on deep-space missions until they know that they can survive.”
Earthbound covers hundreds of scientific studies revealing that any organ—heart, lungs, immune system, brain, or eyes—could fail due to radiation or weightlessness.
Even as cosmic cheerleaders promote human deep-space travel, the public offers little support for it, wrote Meredith. He cites one survey which found that very low percentages of respondents believed that human moon (12%) or Mars (11%) missions should be a top priority. And, a large percentage agreed that moon (41%) or Mars (43%) missions are not important or should not be done at all.
Instead of a human space program, Earthbound advocates that deep-space exploration be mounted by neuronauts—artificially intelligent space probes collaborating with scientists.
Wrote Meredith, “using robots, humans can adventure into deep space and explore the planets, moons, and asteroids safely, and reap an enormous wealth of knowledge. . . . This realistic deep-space program avoids the pipe-dream-planning and rush to space driven by the self-interest of the cosmic cheerleaders. Rather, it proceeds rationally, building a foundation of knowledge that will create the most benefit from space for humankind.
“Imagine the prodigious exploration possible if the immense cost of the human space program were applied to robotic explorations,” wrote Meredith. “And imagine how inspiring and educational those explorations would be if the world’s peoples could join the experience through virtual reality and telepresence technologies.”