Space Flight is the New Nuclear Weapon August 21, 2008
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in Future Development, India, Iran, JAXA, News and politics, Russia, South Korea.add a comment
How can you possibly compare human space flight to nuclear bombs and missiles? The link is not to be found among technologies, but rather in the quest for national prestige.
During the cold war many nations aggressively pursued nuclear development programs. Although they were always clothed in the rhetoric of national defense, nuclear weapons have never been employed for this purpose. You could argue that the US and Russia needed to counter each other’s arsenals, but millions of bullets have been fired, though not one nuclear weapon has been fired in anger since WWII. Additionally, smaller nation had no similar justification.
Iran, North Korea, South Africa, Egypt, India, and Pakistan all created nuclear programs. Were they really needed for national defense? South Africa has gone so far as dismantling their arsenal. That’s a clear sign that it wasn’t required to keep thee nation safe from outside threats. These programs were more about national prestige than about defense.
Even among the superpowers, nuclear weapons development was one way for the two nations to demonstrate their technical superiority. Because the big boys had nukes, any nation that wanted to be viewed as serious contender for regional leadership, they needed nukes too. Iran and Pakistan are both potential leaders for the Islamic world, and hence they needed to demonstrate their capabilities by developing nuclear weapons.
Today, those nukes are becoming less important. There are hints of a new space race. This time any powerful nation can participate. Even private companies can participate. Of course The US and Russia have spaceflight programs, but that’s not new. What is new is the number of other nations announcing a commitment to space flight. In recent years China leaped to the stage with two manned flights. This is a direct challenge to Japan’s quieter program launching astronauts on other nation’s vehicles and contributing serious hardware to the ISS. These two nations also happen to be the biggest powerhouses in Asia, and are flexing their space muscles for their neighbor’s benefit.
South Korea’s Yi So Yeon, who visited the ISS this year is another good example. Although she conducted experiments on orbit, the Korean scientific community was angered by the decision to spend $30 million on her flight. Their complaint is that more money was spent on this one flight than on all other government sponsored scientific projects combined. This is a clear indication that the flight was politically motivated to demonstrate that South Korea is a world player.
Now Iran has announced plans for a manned space program. The national benefits of such a program are murky at best for a nation like Iran. It’s just one more move in the game of international politics and regional control. In the next few months we can expect to hear Pakistan either make a similar announcement, or they will attempt to dismiss Iran’s claims as impossible. As I said before, space flight is the new nuclear program.
Young Astronauts Club: Building the Future Today July 27, 2008
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in Future Development, South Korea.1 comment so far
Many of us are fans of spaceflight, and we believe that the government and/or private industry should make a greater commitment to developing space capabilities. However, must of us don’t do anything about it beyond complaining to our fellow enthusiasts on message boards and blogs. There are plenty of things we could do, like writing to our Congressmen, joining the Mars or Planetary Societies, even seeking employment in the New Space businesses.
This month I’m taking action to promote the future of spaceflight. Ok, so it’s a little step, but at least it is action. The reason I’m interested in spaceflight is not because of all of the benefits it will have for mankind. Sure that’s part of it, but those reasons are later additions to my core passion for the subject. In reality, I was addicted to spaceflight as a child. NASA documentaries and propaganda on TV, in magazines, in books, and in my school created a desire in most of my classmates to launch ourselves into outer space. In the long run, I think this was a good thing, and want to pass that experience on to future generations. So, I have started a Young Astronauts Club.
I work at an English language immersion camp in South Korea. For our month-long summer program we created a dozen clubs for students to choose between. My creation is the Young Astronauts Club. My wife and I put a short video together to promote the club to the students.
Over the course of the month, we will build a scale model of the solar system, perform an egg drop, build a model space station or moon base, program Lego robots, and launch paper rockets.
I was inspired to set up the club because of the recent flight of Yi So Yeon, the Korean astronaut. I wanted to give my students a stronger connection to her trip to the ISS, and show them how they could do the same thing. I’m just trying to plant the seeds of future spaceflight into the fertile minds of today.
Is Yi So Yeon an Astronaut? May 3, 2008
Posted by Brian Pfeifer in South Korea.add a comment
Some of my Korean friends are concerned about criticisms they have been hearing about Yi So Yeon’s recent visit to the ISS. Apparently, some commentators in the media claim that she’s not an astronaut at all. I have not read any sources making this claim, but it is upsetting to many Koreans.
First they felt great pride in joining the space faring nations. Now they see the event with some bitterness. And it has caused some discussion as to whether or not the trip was a waste of money. Now Yi So Yeon is in the hospital with back pain. The whole experience is starting to sour.
Korea has every right to be proud of their new astronaut. According to every dictionary I look in, an astronaut is someone who travels to space. Space is defined as that area higher than 100 km in altitude. Some definitions go on further to say an astronaut is someone who is trained to live and work in space. Let’s see…do these criteria apply to Yi So Yeon? Absolutely.
Was she merely a tourist along for the ride? No. She conducted 18 experiments while on orbit. Her selection process in Korea was as rigorous as that of any NASA astronaut. It included both physical and mental tests, even a Marathon, and an English language exam. She worked hard to earn the chance at this flight. She performed well on orbit, and even had an easier time adapting to microgravity than some of the other professionals.
Perhaps the greatest value of her mission was not the science experiments that she completed, nor in the national pride generated. More importantly, The Republic of Korea now has enough experience to decide if they should invest in a space program. Before her flight, they had no real meter stick against which to measure various options. Now the South Korean government can evaluate the costs and benefits of investing future flights, and make decisions wisely.
Digital Sprocket 