Houston, we have a political problem: advertising in the anti-space campaign

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Space has always been a non-partisan field enjoying broad support from both sides. From President Kennedy's speech on Rice in 1962 to Ronald Reagan's heartbreaking tribute to the Challenger astronauts, our political leaders are at their best when they support the American spirit of daring exploration.

Yet, after a few years, a stray political strategist concludes that attacking our investment in space science and exploration with the classic argument of "problems here on Earth" would win and push a poor politician to portray our space program like a boondoggle. Although grieving applicants invariably reveal their ignorance of science and the economy, they often confuse the public with misinformation about the incredible good that NASA and other government space programs do every day for US citizens.

I raise this topic because I see that Lizzie Fletcher, Texas Congress candidate 7^th district, launched a TV campaign anti-advertising space. His attack on John Culberson, chair of the House Science Credits Subcommittee, is so childish that any educated person might think it does not deserve an answer. However, when a serious candidate from the Houston area can attack a NASA program and gain support from the local newspaper, all members of the space and science communities have an interest in waking up. This kind of politicization must be firmly fought, unless it is gaining ground among campaign staff of well-intentioned candidates on both sides.

I have written a number of texts on the value of government and private investment in space for our country and the world, but it is clear that certain elements are repeated. Let me start with my usual statement on this debate:

No major problem has ever been solved from inside the box, and the Earth's major problems will only be solved by space.

Let's see some details behind this statement:

weather: Think about what would happen if we still had to predict severe weather based on barometric changes. While the hurricanes that often hit our southern states are devastating, the early warnings provided by the observation satellites have saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars in property damage each season. The disaster provoked by Harvey in Houston would have been incredibly worse without the money previously allocated to space by long-term congressional thinkers. NASA's budget includes more than just telescopes and interplanetary probes. Advanced imaging and other technologies developed for the most demanding missions are often reintroduced into Earth observation systems.

Climate: Where would our understanding of the complex composition and interaction of the Earth's oceans and atmosphere without satellite systems, NASA and NOAA data and analysis lie? Can you even imagine discussing climate change without these data?

While we are there, can you guess what is the # 1 carbon reduction technology ever used? Try the global positioning system. GPS is a constellation of DoD satellites that provides free tracking services to the world. These data enable a multitude of systems that increase the efficiency of each means of transportation on Earth, reducing the fuel consumption of cars, ships and transoceanic aircraft by 15%.

And do not forget that in the 1980s, space research led to the Montreal Protocol, which successfully banned the misuse of CFCs, thus preserving the Earth's protective ozone layer. . This space science funded by Congress has preserved humanity and much of life on Earth from devastating cancers.

Energy: In addition to the energy savings generated by GPS, space solar energy is expected to provide seven times the efficiency of terrestrial panels, while eliminating the environmental deprivation caused by the coverage of large tracts of land solar panels. In addition, a rare isotope of helium, probably abundant on the Moon, could provide an unlimited clean fusion energy on Earth. Funding for long-term projects like these is the mark of a country that is preparing for a prosperous future.

Resources: Since Malthus, experts have predicted the disappearance of civilization because of limited resources. Fortunately, the unfortunate have always been wrong because we were ready to invest in the development of technologies that enhance our ability to mine, use and recycle what we have on Earth. Nevertheless, the cynics are right in the end and these processes by which we survive today weigh heavily on our environment.

There is no terrestrial solution to our limited resources, but just delaying tactics. It is only by moving the mining activities and heavy manufacturing of the Earth that we can really protect it in the long run. It's a bold assumption, but some very smart people like Jeff Bezos see it as a future reality. Many of these ideas have been developed at NASA and the agency is collaborating with commercial companies to help them develop the capabilities that will be needed in a future space economy. If we do not invest in these long-term space solutions, we will inevitably run out of many critical resources or we will destroy ourselves arguing.

Economy: To return to my favorite example, the GPS annually reports billions of dollars to the US economy by improving the efficiency of transportation and logistics. It also saves lives by making rescue possible in remote locations and speeding up first responders on the scene.

NASA's investment in launchers designed to meet the agency's research and exploration needs has created thousands of jobs across the country, many in Texas. These jobs are sustainable and supported by activities to launch non-governmental commercial spaces. They also provide positive trade flows to the US, companies like SpaceX are increasingly taking over the international launch market from China, Russia and Europe. None of this would be possible without the space allocated by the subcommittee chaired by John Culberson.

The innumerable spin-offs of microelectronics and memory foam are improving our lives, creating jobs and generating huge returns for our economy. The research needs of the space program have been an important reason for the development of what is now the Internet.

Inspiration: Finally, life on Earth is not just about survival. Removing the promising future of NASA would be a national tragedy. When we push the ultimate limits and ask for answers to the most basic questions, we transcend our humble state as an animal and we do it as a nation and as a species. The set of "humanity" was inspired by NASA's Apollo programs. Most of the brightest entrepreneurial technologists of our generation, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Paul Allen, were inspired by these lunar missions, until they were cut short by the "public" here on Earth "of their time.

The mission Ms. Fletcher has designated is a perfect example of inspiring vision. A "Center of the Universe" plaque at the Pasadena Jet Propulsion Laboratory says "Dare Mighty Things" and indicates that this NASA center has no more scientific mission Complex than brave Jupiter's radiation belt and land empty on the ice shell of Europa in the hope of finding our closest relatives in the warm sea that lies beneath. What fundamental scientific question of our time could possibly compete in terms of importance "Are we alone in the universe? Can you imagine the transcendent moment when we find that the answer to this age-old question is "no"?

Nevertheless, attacking the seemingly meaningless quest for life on other worlds has a solid history among the Luddites. Senator William Proxmire, famous for his money, made a career of attacking the financing of science and paralyzed the search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in the 1970s. SETI was a relatively inexpensive branch of radio astronomy who inspired the hit movie Contact and who still enjoys broad public interest. Carl Sagan later convinced Proxmire that he was wrong, but the harm was done. I have personally advocated for the restoration of SETI funding during my service within the NASA transition team and I still believe it would be a small amount of money well spent. Do not elect Proxmires anymore.

I'm sure Ms. Fletcher is a good person and perhaps she has good ideas in areas other than space policy, where the website and the statements suggest she has no depth. The $ 390 million presented in his advertisement seems huge, until you consider that it represents 0.24% of the $ 163 billion exceeded by the F-35 project, or 0.64% of the $ 60 billion. dollars of annual Medicare fraud. I sincerely hope that she will learn more about the benefits of space for the inhabitants of the Earth, that she will release her silly comic book and will apologize for it. to have used a nonpartisan field of activity as valuable to humanity, our country and its district, as a political weapon. Until then, do not send Washington or Washington opponents of space science to one or the other of the parties. Let's send them to the Huntsville, Alabama Space Camp.

Much of what I have said here is treated in more detail in a paper that I presented a few years ago at a space conference of AIAA: Spatial Policy , intergenerational ethics and environment.

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Space has always been a non-partisan field enjoying broad support from both sides. From President Kennedy's speech on Rice in 1962 to Ronald Reagan's heartbreaking tribute to the Challenger astronauts, our political leaders are at their best when they support the American spirit of daring exploration.

Yet, after a few years, a stray political strategist concludes that attacking our investment in space science and exploration with the classic argument of "problems here on Earth" would win and push a poor politician to portray our space program like a boondoggle. Although grieving applicants invariably reveal their ignorance of science and the economy, they often confuse the public with misinformation about the incredible good that NASA and other government space programs do every day for US citizens.

I raise this topic because I see that Lizzie Fletcher, Texas Congress candidate 7^th district, launched a TV campaign anti-advertising space. His attack on John Culberson, chair of the House Science Credits Subcommittee, is so childish that any educated person might think it does not deserve an answer. However, when a serious candidate from the Houston area can attack a NASA program and gain support from the local newspaper, all members of the space and science communities have an interest in waking up. This kind of politicization must be firmly fought, unless it is gaining ground among campaign staff of well-intentioned candidates on both sides.

I have written a number of texts on the value of government and private investment in space for our country and the world, but it is clear that certain elements are repeated. Let me start with my usual statement on this debate:

No major problem has ever been solved from inside the box, and the Earth's major problems will only be solved by space.

Let's see some details behind this statement:

weather: Think about what would happen if we still had to predict severe weather based on barometric changes. While the hurricanes that often hit our southern states are devastating, the early warnings provided by the observation satellites have saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars in property damage each season. The disaster provoked by Harvey in Houston would have been incredibly worse without the money previously allocated to space by long-term congressional thinkers. NASA's budget includes more than just telescopes and interplanetary probes. Advanced imaging and other technologies developed for the most demanding missions are often reintroduced into Earth observation systems.

Climate: Where would our understanding of the complex composition and interaction of the Earth's oceans and atmosphere without satellite systems, NASA and NOAA data and analysis lie? Can you even imagine discussing climate change without these data?

While we are there, can you guess what is the # 1 carbon reduction technology ever used? Try the global positioning system. GPS is a constellation of DoD satellites that provides free tracking services to the world. These data enable a multitude of systems that increase the efficiency of each means of transportation on Earth, reducing the fuel consumption of cars, ships and transoceanic aircraft by 15%.

And do not forget that in the 1980s, space research led to the Montreal Protocol, which successfully banned the misuse of CFCs, thus preserving the Earth's protective ozone layer. . This space science funded by Congress has preserved humanity and much of life on Earth from devastating cancers.

Energy: In addition to the energy savings generated by GPS, space solar energy is expected to provide seven times the efficiency of terrestrial panels, while eliminating the environmental deprivation caused by the coverage of large tracts of land solar panels. In addition, a rare isotope of helium, probably abundant on the Moon, could provide an unlimited clean fusion energy on Earth. Funding for long-term projects like these is the mark of a country that is preparing for a prosperous future.

Resources: Since Malthus, experts have predicted the disappearance of civilization because of limited resources. Fortunately, the unfortunate have always been wrong because we were ready to invest in the development of technologies that enhance our ability to mine, use and recycle what we have on Earth. Nevertheless, the cynics are right in the end and these processes by which we survive today weigh heavily on our environment.

There is no terrestrial solution to our limited resources, but just delaying tactics. It is only by moving the mining activities and heavy manufacturing of the Earth that we can really protect it in the long run. It's a bold assumption, but some very smart people like Jeff Bezos see it as a future reality. Many of these ideas have been developed at NASA and the agency is collaborating with commercial companies to help them develop the capabilities that will be needed in a future space economy. If we do not invest in these long-term space solutions, we will inevitably run out of many critical resources or we will destroy ourselves arguing.

Economy: To return to my favorite example, the GPS annually reports billions of dollars to the US economy by improving the efficiency of transportation and logistics. It also saves lives by making rescue possible in remote locations and speeding up first responders on the scene.

NASA's investment in launchers designed to meet the agency's research and exploration needs has created thousands of jobs across the country, many in Texas. These jobs are sustainable and supported by activities to launch non-governmental commercial spaces. They also provide positive trade flows to the US, companies like SpaceX are increasingly taking over the international launch market from China, Russia and Europe. None of this would be possible without the space allocated by the subcommittee chaired by John Culberson.

The innumerable spin-offs of microelectronics and memory foam are improving our lives, creating jobs and generating huge returns for our economy. The research needs of the space program have been an important reason for the development of what is now the Internet.

Inspiration: Finally, life on Earth is not just about survival. Removing the promising future of NASA would be a national tragedy. When we push the ultimate limits and ask for answers to the most basic questions, we transcend our humble state as an animal and we do it as a nation and as a species. The set of "humanity" was inspired by NASA's Apollo programs. Most of the brightest entrepreneurial technologists of our generation, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Paul Allen, were inspired by these lunar missions, until they were cut short by the "public" here on Earth "of their time.

The mission Ms. Fletcher has designated is a perfect example of inspiring vision. A "Center of the Universe" plaque at the Pasadena Jet Propulsion Laboratory says "Dare Mighty Things" and indicates that this NASA center has no more scientific mission Complex than brave Jupiter's radiation belt and land empty on the ice shell of Europa in the hope of finding our closest relatives in the warm sea that lies beneath. What fundamental scientific question of our time could possibly compete in terms of importance "Are we alone in the universe? Can you imagine the transcendent moment when we find that the answer to this age-old question is "no"?

Nevertheless, attacking the seemingly meaningless quest for life on other worlds has a solid history among the Luddites. Senator William Proxmire, famous for his money, made a career of attacking the financing of science and paralyzed the search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in the 1970s. SETI was a relatively inexpensive branch of radio astronomy who inspired the hit movie Contact and who still enjoys broad public interest. Carl Sagan later convinced Proxmire that he was wrong, but the harm was done. I have personally advocated for the restoration of SETI funding during my service within the NASA transition team and I still believe it would be a small amount of money well spent. Do not elect Proxmires anymore.

I'm sure Ms. Fletcher is a good person and perhaps she has good ideas in areas other than space policy, where the website and the statements suggest she has no depth. The $ 390 million presented in his advertisement seems huge, until you consider that it represents 0.24% of the $ 163 billion exceeded by the F-35 project, or 0.64% of the $ 60 billion. dollars of annual Medicare fraud. I sincerely hope that she will learn more about the benefits of space for the inhabitants of the Earth, that she will release her silly comic book and will apologize for it. to have used a non-partisan field of activity so valuable to humanity, our country and its district, as a political weapon. Until then, do not send Washington or Washington opponents of space science to one or the other party. Let's send them to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

Much of what I have said here is treated in more detail in a paper that I presented a few years ago at a space conference of AIAA: Spatial Policy , intergenerational ethics and environment.