13 July 2019 | New Scientist | 5WHEN the Soviet Union put the first
satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit in 1957,
Lyndon Johnson, then a US senator,
stoked the idea that it was an affront to
American prestige. “Control of space
means control of the world,” he said. In
1961, President John F. Kennedy agreed
with the sentiment and committed to
putting a man on the moon that decade.
The subsequent success of the Apollo
programme was one of the most
extraordinary achievements in human
history, and our special issue this week
explores its legacy (see page 36). But
this isn’t just about the past. Fifty years
on, we are going back to the moon. The
participants in the new race are different,
as are the reasons for going, which this
time means we are more likely to stay.
Science is one reason. Returning to
the moon will help us find out how ourplanet formed and open up new fields
of science and discovery, while lunar
bases will become staging posts for
exploration of Mars and the rest of
the solar system.
Commerce is another motive. The
new space race is as much between rival
commercial operations as it is between
countries. It remains to be seen how
long companies will have to wait until
they see a return on their investment:
tourism opportunities may bring cashin and providing cargo and passenger
transport to the lunar surface could
become profitable, but it doesn’t look
like a space-based economy will be
functional for quite a while.
So we need to be clear about the
reasons for going back. The first
principle should be that the return is the
start of something long-term. For the
sake of scientific discovery, human lunar
exploration shouldn’t peter out like it
did last time. The second principle
should be to ensure the moon really is
for everyone. Despite the diversity of
actors in the new race, the old drivers –
pride and territoriality and Johnson’s
appeal to control – are still there. We
must examine the objectives of new
missions and ensure that the moon
remains an object of wonder and
inspiration for everyone. ❚Back for good
When we return to the moon, let’s do it for all the right reasons
Humans first
reached the
surface of the
moon half a
century agoNASAThe leader
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