Innovation & Tech Today – May 2019

SUMMER 2019|INNOVATION & TECH TODAY 73

andtheexpertsweretalkingmatter-of-fact
aboutMarsbeingthenaturalextensionof
walkingonthemoon.Sincewedidn’thave
devicesandcouldn’tgoonlinetolookat
footage,wehadtoimagineit,envisionit.Somy
generationwasa generationofdreamers.

“Thedifferenceis,technologyiscatchingup
tousnowsowecanfocusontrulysending
mannedmissionstoMars.I’m confident it can
happeninmylifetime.”

AddedApollo8 flightengineerPoppy
Northcutt,thefirstwomantoworkinMission
Controlduringlunarmissions,“IfI werea
youngboyorgirltoday,I’dbeashappyasthe
BabyBoomerkidswereinthe‘60s– butkids
todayhavemoreopportunitytoflylater,or
workinthespaceprogram.I’mreallyimpressed
withhowroboticsandtechnology are things
they already understand.”

Thebuzzbuildseveryday.Forstarters,this

50thanniversaryyearhasbeenfarmorethana

nostalgictributetoa specificdateintime,

thoughthatwillcomeJuly20.Now,we’reawash

withanticipationabouta habitable,sustainable

workstationgrowingonthelunarSouthPole

nextdecade,includingNASA’s goal of sending a

mannedcrewby2024.

Onecanhearthosetest-pilot,RightStuffold-

timermoonwalkerssighingandsaying,“Finally.”

HereiswhatApollo11’sBuzzAldrin,a

passionateMarsmissionenthusiastthroughout,

saidtothiswriterin1993,forOneGiantLeap

forMankind, NASA’s25thanniversary

commemorativesalute:“Ithinkwe’llgoto

thepolesofthemoonfirst(beforeMars).It

givesyouaccesstothefarside,accesstothe

potentialshadedareasandaccesstosome

continuous sunlit regions for energy generation.

Thenwewillprobablyvisittheasteroidswith

robots,toexplorethecommercialrecoveryof

asteroidmaterial.Thenaswe’reconverting

someofthislunarknowledgetotheexpedition

ofMars,I thinkwe’ll have private citizens

visitingspace.”

LookatAldrin’squarter-century-oldremarks

againsta fewrecentdevelopments:

• Threeentrepreneurialtitanshaveentered
  thecommercialspaceringbig-time.ElonMusk’s
  SpaceXhassentdozensofsatellitesintoorbit,
  includinga nestof 60 internetsatellites.Along
  withVirginGalactic(RichardBranson)and
  BlueOrigin( JeffBezos),thetriowillbe
  amongthoseleadingthewayincommercial
  spaceflightsforprivatecitizens,whileBlue
  Originisalsosquarely focused on the South
  Pole of the Moon.

Photo: iStockphoto.com/shulz

Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

“Thedifferenceis, technologyis

catchingupto us nowso we can

focusontrulysendingmanned

missionsto Mars.I’mconfident it

canhappenin my lifetime.”

~Leland Melvin