For Sale: One Space Suit, slightly used (best offer)
BOSTON 29 April 2009 - NASA has an opportunity to explore the farthest reaches of space with capabilities far beyond their current reach if they abandon manned spaceflights and turn their attention completely to the development of robotics. This crucial change will simultaneously improve our lives here on Earth and could create a new economic goldmine for the U.S.
Space exploration is one of the greatest and most important scientific undertakings humans have ever undertaken. The advances we have made in all areas of science and medicine cannot be overstated. However, there is a high cost to this exploration. 439 humans total have flown into space and twenty-two have been killed on spaceflights. If you then factor in space training deaths and ground personnel killed that total number jumps to 104 human deaths. It is painful to realize that sending 439 humans into orbit worldwide, we have suffered a 25% rate of death. To put that number into perspective for you: If we accepted the same level of risk on commercial airline flights as we do on spaceflights a staggering 1,250,000 people would die in a plane crash (or as the collateral of a plane crash) every single day.
Before you go thinking I’m one of those people who questions why we need NASA, I’m not. I love space, space exploration, and it is clear that space exploration has been the driving catalyst behind many of the most beneficial inventions of our time as well as a significant generator for jobs. We need NASA and space exploration now more than ever.
However, the days of sending manned missions into space is probably coming to an end. First, because it is too costly to the incredibly bright minds that we lose and that cannot be replaced. Second, because with our attention on human spaceflight, we undercut the crucial development of robotics, which has far greater potential in today’s changing world. And it is this second point on robotics that has real potential.
The potential advancements we would make engineering robotic spaceflights and missions would outweigh what we gain by manned spaceflight. We are, in effect, limited by our own bodies abilities and safety concerns. We are limited by the fact that our fingers are perfect at many tasks, and so the price we pay is that someone who has lost their fingers does not benefit from a robotic hand never engineered. We take for granted what our bodies can accomplish naturally as compared to what we can currently with robotics (commercial sector). I think many of us would agree that the study of the human heart in orbit should take a backseat to advancing robot assisted laparoscopic surgery in the heart here on Earth. To make that advancement space is the perfect problem/opportunity.
The challenge of sending robotics into space that will preform the same functions as a human will bring us to incredible new scientific achievements. If 100% of the money (currently over $10,000 per Lb in space), resources, efforts and collective intelligence of NASA were going into the development of robotics for unmanned spaceflights, I guarantee we would have far greater achievements in space exploration than today, but with the addition of rapid development in our healthcare, as well as other sectors, even the economy.
For healthcare we need robotics in our day-to-day from surgery, prosthetics, eldercare, medical education, infectious disease control and general healthcare. This growing worldwide need for robotics could be one of the next great economic stabilizers for the United States. Instead of making GM cars that struggle for a market, we could be producing a wide array of robotics for applications in manufacturing, transportation and energy production, all spun from space exploration. In World War II, we went from making cars to bomber aircraft in months, we could do the same here.
Finally, I couldn't write anything about robotics without some mention of projects like FIRST or Lego Mindstorms. With FIRST Dean Kamen and John Abele have done a tremendous service to the world. They have inspired young people from all walks of life to become engaged in participatory competitions focused on the development of robotics. They have created an entire generation of young people who might not dream of being one of the 439 humans in space, but now have the very real dream of sending their robots as far as we have ever gone, accomplish what we never have. When these student competitors make their way through higher education and into the workplace they will be looking for some place to use their robotics skills. These young people will spearhead in new markets, companies and products. We would all be wise to start preparing for that shift now.
Bottom line, we are not trying to colonizing another planet, instead we are focused on improving upon our own. Yes, I would miss the image of humans in space, it holds a special place within all of us, but I have to think of the better outcomes possible. Lets use robotic space missions as the catalyst for a new age and a great leap in our everyday lives.
CIMIT blog is a part of The Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology - CIMIT.org
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