Why Space? A Question of Providing for the Future

NASA, Artist concept by Denise Watt.

With the ongoing discussion of the future of NASA under the incoming Obama Administration, Dennis Wingo reminds us that it's time to go back and ask the fundamental question of why space is so important to our future.

The economic development of the solar system, beginning at the Moon and extending on from there addresses the critical national and even global problem of energy and resources, while providing the opportunity for mankind to incorporate the vast riches that await us there. Any other reasoning for the exploration of space is a hollow effort who's prestige value is no more than adding an additional footnote in some future civilization's history book.

I made a similar case in this post from February 2006 which also includes a moral imperative for expansion into space.

However, many foresighted people see human expansion into space and development of the resources and energy there as the long term positive alternative to the more dismal agendas. Protecting and providing for future generations is the moral imperative behind our expansion into space. Part of a culture of life is to take the long view, to take risks on the frontiers to provide for the lives of future human beings, each of whom have a unique God-given dignity.