We launched a rocket (space ship) with four astronauts aboard yesterday. Their mission is to circle the moon a few times and return to earth in ten days. They are testing out a variety of systems to ensure they work as designed. I did read where one of them is a woman, first one to circle the moon and another is a black man, another first. No mention of gender identity or any of that nonsense. Not all are Americans either. I’m hopeful for a successful mission. This is just one step to get closer to landing on the moon once again and establishing a base there. From there the plan will be to launch rockets into deeper space. It’s all very star wars and I have no doubt that one day it will happen.

I do have a hard time justifying the expense in all of this exploration. I realize the same was said about those ancient mariners traveling to America. Exploration was undertaken mainly for one reason only, the promise of great rewards. The Spanish especially came in search of gold. They weren’t alone by any stretch of the imagination. We are told that it was just wanderlust that drove man to explore new areas. I don’t believe that is the case, it happened because we believed that there was something to be gained. That was true even with those that just wanted to see what was on the other side of the hill. Knowledge is power and if I know what is there, I’m powerful. There are always those that will pay for that knowledge.

I have been amused for years by those that claim we never went to the moon. The whole thing was staged, made up and filmed on earth. It’s all a big hoax. I remember well that moon landing on July 20th 1969. I remember it especially because it is also my birthday. I was sixteen on that day. I watched it on a black and white television, the picture quite grainy and the sound scratchy. I have never doubted that we indeed accomplished that feat. Why did we do that? We had to beat the Russians, show them our prowess, our might. We are the United States of America.

Why are we returning to the moon? The narrative is we are preparing for deep space exploration and need to establish a base for that. Just think of the fuel we will save! After the moon, Mars is the next port of call. Many believe that is where we came from in the first place. Will we find evidence of that should we land on that red planet? Maybe, but I don’t think so. Will we encounter other beings on our travels through space? I think that is a good possibility, as I believe there are others out there.

Thing about that is, it has never turned out good for the more primitive people when they interact with those having advanced technology. Think about what happened to the Mayans once the Spanish showed up with guns. What happened to the Native Americans once the white guys showed up? Yeah advanced societies tend to exploit the less advanced ones. They are always a good source of labor, if nothing else. I wonder if we shouldn’t be guarding against invasion, being more defensive in our technologies, rather than boldly going where no man has gone before. Fortune favors the bold is an old adage but a strong defense usually wins the battle.

I guess all of that just depends upon your point of view. Personally I do believe there are aliens out there with the capability to travel through space. I believe some have visited our planet, I can see no reason why they wouldn’t. I also believe those aliens would have advanced technologies to deal with any possible threat we could offer. In short, I don’t think they are a bit concerned with our offensive capabilities, it’s my thinking we are little more than a celestial curiosity. And I think they just haven’t found anything of value to them here beyond that curiosity, like going to the zoo or something. We just don’t have any valuable resource that interests them.

What are we looking for in outer space? Are we looking for other life or resources that we can exploit? Everyone wants a return on their investment, that’s a universal thing. It’s true even when that return is nothing more than a degree of fame or notoriety. Billions of dollars are being spent on this endeavor. What promise of return is there? Technology, that’s the answer. Advanced technology. Will any of that change the nature of man?

In Star Trek the prime directive is often mentioned. It’s the first law of the federation. We are not to interfere with any civilizations that are not as advanced as we are. We shouldn’t mess with the stupid people in the universe, just allow them to develop on their own. It’s a directive defining the ethical exploration of the universe. We are not going to space to just have a look around. The bottom line is we are going there to hopefully exploit some resources, get that return on our investment. It’s going to be difficult if we don’t interact with those “less intelligent” beings and we don’t really want to mess around with those that are more advanced than ourselves. Human nature will never change, that’s my thought anyway. What’s in it for me?