Does space exploration make economic sense?

By XN Iraki

It is 40 years since we landed on the moon, our nearest celestial neighbour.

It was hoped that after that landing, that spirit of adventure and exploration would continue and by now, we would have landed on another planet, either Mars or any other nearer planet.

Instead, we have focused more attention on our terrestrial problems, from global economic crisis to droughts, wars and global warming. It seems the stars and the heavens can wait.

Truly, the great excitement emanating from landing on the moon was replaced by the Vietnam War, which gnawed on America’s self-confidence. Few would say loudly that probably it was that war that hastened the scraping of the Apollo programme, which saw 24 Earthlians land on the moon.

JF Kennedy’s dream of landing the man on the moon was achieved within a decade as he had predicted, just as he predicted that a black man would one day become the US President.

Apart from the Manhattan Project, which led to the atomic bomb, few other projects had such a sense of purpose and national focus.

Just like other major achievements, a sense of what next sets in and unless one gets another goal, meaningless often set in, the reason the rich and other achievers like celebrities often turn to drugs, mysticism and other subnormal behaviour, in search of meaning, an attempt to fill the void left after achieving the ultimate goal.

This malice some argue also afflicts academics after attaining the highest degree (PhD) leading to disinterest and some say bizarre behaviour from drunkardness to other behaviours that border paranormal.

Former American President George tried to rally Americans about returning to the moon in a 2004 speech in which the moon would be a stepping stone onto onward journey to the planet Mars, the red planet.

The landing of space probes on this planet, which sent breathtaking photos and the unanswered questions about the contents of this planet has made us believe that a human walk would solve lots of the planet’s mysteries. What if we discovered some fossils there equivalent to Zinjanthropus?

Space exploration

To give credit where it is due, the Apollo programme continued but most of the space flights are unmanned depending on technology like robotics to explore the far flung celestial bodies, from planets to asteroids and comets.

The spacecrafts with exotic names like ‘Voyager’ (not that one!), ‘Magellan’ and ‘Kepler’ are still exploring the deep space as we worry about water, reforestation and black outs.

I have always wondered why our matatus never pick such names. There is still big debate among space enthusiasts on whether we should focus on manned or unmanned space exploration.

Enough digression. Does it make economic space to explore the space, far beyond the solar system, where the chances of finding life are still debatable?

Does it make sense to spend $25 billion to land man on a barren moon, where no crops can grow and no mineral resources are extractable for now?

Supporters of space exploration hinge on economics of ‘spillovers’. They argue that lots of technology used in the space exploration eventually spill into civilian use and we all benefit.

Even if you have never heard of Apollo or Sputnik, you have indirectly benefited from space exploration through technologies like Cellular phone, video and robots that paint your car on the assembly line.

Think of controlling a space craft through space millions of kilometres away. This technology can be used to control ships and aircraft nearer home.

Think of the Global Position system (GPS), fire resistant materials and water purification systems.

Greater productivity

The other economic benefit cited is that space exploration spawns competition, which leads to greater productivity in every sector of the economy, leading to higher economic growth in the long run. Americans could not have landed on the moon without the Russian competition.

The American dream of re-landing on the moon by 2020 and using it as a base to deeper space is a reaction to Chinese goal of landing on the moon.

In addition, space exploration is an ingredient of national pride and confidence, which translates into more creativity, innovation, consumption and greater economic growth. Imagine if it was Kenyan landing on the moon in 1969.

How would you have felt? How would that have affected the "Kenyan Brand"? Remember the ‘feel good’ after Narc victory in 2002?

Truthfully, Space exploration would be a convenient distraction from our obsession with this small planet from plots to tribalism and racism.

It is part of our psyche to seek more knowledge, and wonder; from the poor to the rich, nothing is more satisfying than surprises, the unexpected.

We spend time and money looking for new experiences, new adventures, till the ultimate adventure overtakes us, death.

So when we ask for volunteers to take a one way ticket to Planet Mars to save on energy for return journey, I hope we shall have a deluge of volunteers.

After all, would it not be cool and exotic to be buried on another planet, away from the crowded Langata or threatened Mau?

Finally, how comes no one ever talks of ‘our’ space station at Malindi? How comes none of our politicians ever talk about space exploration?

The writer is a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, School of Business. xniraki@aol.com