English

Compelling Rationales for Spaceflight History and the Search for Relevance

Are there compelling reasons to travel into space Assuming that there are, when did they emerge in the consciousness of the space community, opinion leaders, politicos, larger public How have those compelling reasons for spaceflight been articulated and adjusted over time With all of the changes in the larger society during the last half century, do those rationales remain persuasive at the dawn of the 21st century Finding answers to these questions are probably the most critical issues currently facing the space policy community. Of course, these issues may be considered without the use of historical analysis, and many do so, but the debate is immeasurably enriched by an understanding and explication of the historical evolution of the rationales that have been offered for why humanity seeks to fly in space.This essay begins with a discussion of the motivations for spaceflight-ultimately resting on the deep-seated desire to become a multiplanetary species and a quest for utopia beyond this realm-before moving into a sustained discussion of the five rationales for spaceflight that have been advanced over time: national pride/prestige/geopolitics, human destiny/survival of the specie

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