Chesley Bonestell, “The Exploration of Mars” (1953), oil on board, 143/8 x 28 inches, gift of William Estler, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Reproduced courtesy of Bonestell LLC.

Why We Go to Space

July 31, 2015

 

Details of getting to and working in space have been regular grist for the mill at Issues, including why the United States should pursue joint international projects and why it should develop advanced launch technologies with capabilities beyond today’s rockets. But sometimes it is worth taking a grander look at why humans journey into space, as Charles Krauthammer did recently in the Washington Post, concluding that “For the wretched race of beings we surely are, we do, on occasion, manage to soar.”