Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Saturday, June 4, 2022
Time To Move On
This world has been too much with us lately, as almost everyone seems to have been behaving badly and disgust has weighed heavily on most of us. Nevertheless, we have to break free eventually from the all-too-predictable patterns and occupy ourselves with a bit of forward-looking thinking. Other than financially-centered space tourism for the very rich, most projects appear to be stalled and both science and fiction struggle to make progress in a fragmented world. So it is with gladness that I read of China's plans to complete their orbital space station with their next taikonaut mission. As the (less and less) International Space Station, from which the Chinese have been systematically excluded, spins toward a likely re-entry around 2025, their project assumes more and more importance for those interested in the future of space. It will be most interesting to see how the station develops -- whether it will lead to cooperation with other nations or stay an essentially nationalistic endeavor. That may partly depend on events on this side of the Pacific, as the relationship between America's NASA and the newly-formed military Space Corps, as well as corporate ventures, becomes clearer. Surely the war in Ukraine will have some effects on the course of exploration, as well. Already, the international movement of such key materials as titanium, cobalt, and rare earths has become more dicey. Eventually, this may come to affect rocket engine supply. As the spate of politically-imposed trade and banking sanctions expands, some projects face likely delays. Some of the players, such as the European Space Agency, are already feeling the results of the international tensions, since sanctions have eliminated the role of Russia in missions launching from Kourou, French Guyane. All the money being directed to a massive rearmament in Europe, coupled with economic deterioration in the wake of what promises to be a protracted state of war or near-war in Ukraine and other areas, is bound to siphon off funds that could otherwise be pointed toward scientific exploration. As cyber warfare heats up between East and West, this situation may grow more acute. Will there be a Zephram Cochrane out there somewhere who may push us forward despite our petty savagery? It will be interesting to see how the future unfolds, for there is bound to be an unfolding, for better or for worse.
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