Reference no: EM133755206

Assignment:

• Pose a thoughtful question;
• Share additional content or sources;
• Share insights or offer perspective;
• Provide an alternative point-of-view;
• Make additional connections to the topic

This discussion really opens a window to let the imagination fly away. My first thoughts took me to a wild mental trip to a bright future where space travel is accessible to the average person, and space resources are used to the advantage of humankind. However, as history clearly shows that is most likely not the case.

If you would have asked the average American in the late 60's or early 70's about the space program 50 years later in the next millennium, saying that by now we should have Lunar and Martian bases or even colonies would have been a reasonable answer.

Once again, my counterintuitive realization: "the passage of time does not guarantee social or technical progress" sinks in, adding weight to the necessity of our involvement in this industry to help push forward in whichever way we can.

Now, as for this discussion, I believe the Artemis program represents a strategic step towards the goal of establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, returning Americans to the Lunar surface should provide the opportunity to develop the science needed for long duration missions, and viable habitats, with the longer-term goal of executing manned missions to Mars.

The planning and execution of manned missions to Mars will benefit from the lessons learned through the Artemis program and the advancement of essential technologies like life support systems, spacecrafts for long term trips, construction of habitats, oxygen, and fuels production on other planets.

The development of nuclear fission propellant systems is vital for long term missions. NASA and DARPA are currently working on the prototype for their first nuclear powered rocket (Hall, 2023) projected to launch in 2027.

Advancing "Gateway", the next generation space station to be placed in near-rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon, not only is a multinational project that represents the advantages of international collaboration but will also serve as a vital outpost supporting Lunar missions and beyond.

Among many other areas of space exploration that will benefit humankind and should be advanced, I would like to mention the technologies involved in planetary exploration, robotic missions, and astrobiology research.

Ultimately, for the US, space domain military dominance is paramount to enact and maintain peaceful use and cooperation of space resources, and to serve as deterrence to hostile foreign powers.