Roger D. LauniusNational Air and Space Museum

Smithsonian Institution

The Moon as a Target for Human Exploration

• Moon captures the fancy of humankind.– The most dominant and changeable element in

the night sky.– Kindles enthusiasm, joy, lust, fear, and horror.– Often associated with dieties and supernatural

activities.

• Moon fundamental part of modern popular culture.

• Moon early target for U.S./USSR space programs.

The Apollo Decision

• Project Apollo was in large measure a result of Cold War rivalry

• JFK announcement, May 25, 1961

• “I believe this Nation should commitment itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”

Coalition Politics and Project Apollo

• National security space community

• Spaceflight enthusiasts

• Aerospace industry

• Partisan Politicians

• Scientific community interested in Moon program for research purposes

IS RUSSIA AHEAD OF THE U.S. IN SPACE?

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Oct-57 Aug-58 Dec-59 Dec-60 May-61 Aug-62 Feb-63 Jun-63 May-64 Jun-65 Jul-89 May-91

Per

cent

(%)

Yes No Don't Know

NASA Budget as a Percentage of Federal Budget

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0.5

1.0

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SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT FUND HUMAN TRIPS TO THE MOON?

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Jun-61

Feb-65

Oct-65

Jul-67

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Jul-79

Jul-94

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Jul-03

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Per

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Public Support for Apollo

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1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972

Apollo Worth Cost

Approve of Apollo

Spending Too Much on Space

The Pervasive Power of Project Apollo

Robotic Missions to the Moon• Soviet Union undertook three

missions to Moon in 1970s, including one sample return, Luna 21-24.

• Clementine, 1994, mapped surface in greater detail than anything previously.

• Lunar Prospector, 1998, one-year mission to determine if water ice was buried inside the lunar crust.

Rationales for Spaceflight

• Scientific Discovery and Understanding

• National Security

• Economic Competitiveness

• Human Destiny/Survival of the Species

• National Prestige/Geopolitics

Making the Moon a Second Home• Space Task Group Report, 1969.

– Post-Apollo program that included• Space Shuttle.

• Space Station.

• Moon base.

• Human expedition to Mars.

– Nixon approved Space Shuttle, January 1972.

• Space Exploration Initiative, July 20, 1989.– Moon base. – Human expedition to Mars.– Died by 1991 because of $400B price tag.

Opportunities in the 2004 Vision for Space Exploration

Establish multiple space communities in the Earth-Moon system.

Evolve a viable outer space commerce market. Create value and meaning for humankind in

space. Understand dynamics between living entities and

universe. Develop symbiotic relationships between humans

and intelligent machines.

Challenges for Return to the Moon• Ensure public support—

political will.• Build on initial

experiences; broaden international activities.

• Emphasize military, civil, and commercial operations in Earth orbit as part of the pathway to lunar operations.

• Interweave exploration, science, technology development, commerce, and infrastructure development.

If spending had to be cut on federal programs, which two federal program(s) do you think the

cuts should come from? (Harris Poll 4/10/2007)

Program Total % Republican % Democrat % Independent %

Space program 51 44 58 49

Welfare 28 43 18 29

Defense spending 28 8 45 28

Farm subsidies 24 29 25 22

Environmental programs

16 30 7 14

Homeland Security 12 3 14 21

Transportation 11 16 9 9

Medicaid 4 6 3 2

Education 3 4 1 2

Social Security 2 3 * 2

Medicare 1 2 * 1

We Must return to the Moon, if only to Demonstrate that We Can