Post on 21-Dec-2015
Roger D. LauniusNational Air and Space Museum
Smithsonian Institution
The Moon as a Target for Human Exploration
• Moon captures the fancy of humankind.– The most dominant and changeable element in
the night sky.– Kindles enthusiasm, joy, lust, fear, and horror.– Often associated with dieties and supernatural
activities.
• Moon fundamental part of modern popular culture.
• Moon early target for U.S./USSR space programs.
The Apollo Decision
• Project Apollo was in large measure a result of Cold War rivalry
• JFK announcement, May 25, 1961
• “I believe this Nation should commitment itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”
Coalition Politics and Project Apollo
• National security space community
• Spaceflight enthusiasts
• Aerospace industry
• Partisan Politicians
• Scientific community interested in Moon program for research purposes
IS RUSSIA AHEAD OF THE U.S. IN SPACE?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Oct-57 Aug-58 Dec-59 Dec-60 May-61 Aug-62 Feb-63 Jun-63 May-64 Jun-65 Jul-89 May-91
Per
cent
(%)
Yes No Don't Know
NASA Budget as a Percentage of Federal Budget
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976 TQ
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT FUND HUMAN TRIPS TO THE MOON?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Jun-61
Feb-65
Oct-65
Jul-67
Apr-70
Jul-79
Jul-94
Jul-95
Jun-99
Jul-03
Dec-03
Jan-04
Jul-04
Per
cen
tag
e o
f th
e A
mer
ican
Pu
blic
(%
)
Favor Oppose
Public Support for Apollo
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
Apollo Worth Cost
Approve of Apollo
Spending Too Much on Space
The Pervasive Power of Project Apollo
Robotic Missions to the Moon• Soviet Union undertook three
missions to Moon in 1970s, including one sample return, Luna 21-24.
• Clementine, 1994, mapped surface in greater detail than anything previously.
• Lunar Prospector, 1998, one-year mission to determine if water ice was buried inside the lunar crust.
Rationales for Spaceflight
• Scientific Discovery and Understanding
• National Security
• Economic Competitiveness
• Human Destiny/Survival of the Species
• National Prestige/Geopolitics
Making the Moon a Second Home• Space Task Group Report, 1969.
– Post-Apollo program that included• Space Shuttle.
• Space Station.
• Moon base.
• Human expedition to Mars.
– Nixon approved Space Shuttle, January 1972.
• Space Exploration Initiative, July 20, 1989.– Moon base. – Human expedition to Mars.– Died by 1991 because of $400B price tag.
Opportunities in the 2004 Vision for Space Exploration
Establish multiple space communities in the Earth-Moon system.
Evolve a viable outer space commerce market. Create value and meaning for humankind in
space. Understand dynamics between living entities and
universe. Develop symbiotic relationships between humans
and intelligent machines.
Challenges for Return to the Moon• Ensure public support—
political will.• Build on initial
experiences; broaden international activities.
• Emphasize military, civil, and commercial operations in Earth orbit as part of the pathway to lunar operations.
• Interweave exploration, science, technology development, commerce, and infrastructure development.
If spending had to be cut on federal programs, which two federal program(s) do you think the
cuts should come from? (Harris Poll 4/10/2007)
Program Total % Republican % Democrat % Independent %
Space program 51 44 58 49
Welfare 28 43 18 29
Defense spending 28 8 45 28
Farm subsidies 24 29 25 22
Environmental programs
16 30 7 14
Homeland Security 12 3 14 21
Transportation 11 16 9 9
Medicaid 4 6 3 2
Education 3 4 1 2
Social Security 2 3 * 2
Medicare 1 2 * 1
We Must return to the Moon, if only to Demonstrate that We Can