Moon, planets, galaxies. The whole universe seems fascinating to the human race and scientists are trying very hard to explore more and more of it. The more we know about it, the more curious we become. Landing on the Moon and Mars have been the hot topic amongst the researchers of science for a long time. For scientists, being on an expedition on space is more of finding the unanswered questions about space. On the other hand, for the government, it is for the preparation of war in space.
Mia Cross is a professor of political science and international affairs at the Northeastern University and she has strong opinions regarding space exploration. Cross’s newest research focuses on the international collaboration that fostered the Space Race of the 1960s. Cross was invited at an international conference on space exploration where she delivered her opinion regarding the topic.
“We’re at a time when space is becoming very prominent in a way that it hasn’t, for the last 50 years. Space exploration has always been about international cooperation and the betterment of humanity but politicians and military officials viewed space as a battlefield, as an arms race,” said Cross.
Every country wants to have an edge over the others and space is no exception. This is popularly termed as the space race. Formerly, the space race also called the space race 1.0 occurred between the US and the Soviet Union. The very first satellite named Sputnik launched by Soviet scared the other countries including the US and this led to a space race between both the countries. The countries have been competing with each other in space through advancements in science and technology. Moreover, in 2007 Japan launched an anti-satellite weapon to destroy one of its satellite but it threatened other countries as this can be used as a weapon to destroy satellites of others too.
“The benefits of space research for people on Earth are huge. Each step of the way, [space exploration] has been characterized by this wild imagination, this dreamy, outside-the-box thinking, and there’s a sense that this is part of what it is to be human—pushing the limits of what you can do. The danger is when we feel like we have to weaponize or go it alone,” said Cross.
The government all around the world needs to understand and trust each other more. Space is to explore and quench our thirst of curiosity; not for war. It would not be wrong to say that space exploration should be a joint mission of different countries rather than cutting off and fearing each other’s actions.
Priyanka Rawat
Comments