When the U.S. Space Shuttle Program ended last summer, many Americans bemoaned the fact we now stood to lose our nation’s position as an international leader in space exploration.
However, after a privately owned spacecraft, the company SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, visited the International Space Station last week, it now seems completely possible the future of space exploration can be through the private, rather than public, sector. Many students who perhaps once envisioned themselves working for NASA may ultimately find careers with private space companies like SpaceX or with Boeing’s space program. In the future, little-known space corporations might become mainstream companies.
It makes sense at this point, at least for financial reasons, to hand over many of the responsibilities previously held by organizations like NASA to groups like SpaceX. Many industries and parts of the private sector actually began as government projects or were heavily supplemented by the government. The Internet has its roots in a program developed in the 1950s by the U.S. government to give it an edge over the Soviet Union in computer science. Some of the first train systems in the United States were built with logistical support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In the same way, the government’s initial support of space exploration has made it possible to reach the point today at which private companies can step forward to increase and guide future research and innovation.
At this point, the rate of progress on private space travel might proceed with breakneck speed, mirroring the technological developments we saw with cell phones or the Internet. Younger generations don’t have memories of the massive changes these developments brought to our culture during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but private space exploration might lead to a similar groundswell of innovation that truly changes the way we understand the world around us. In the same way companies like Facebook and Google would not have been conceivable prior to the creation of the Internet, it is difficult to foresee what service private sector space operations will provide for us. But, those changes will no doubt come, and they will be significant.
There are also probable downsides to commercializing the space industry. The current statistical track record of accidents is relatively low, and surely the threat of lawsuit or bankruptcy is incentive enough for companies to exercise caution. There will definitely be a “debugging” period in the beginning. I’m not sure I would want to risk taking part during that period.
The potential environmental impact of commercialized space travel is also something to consider. According to a [USA Today article](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2011-07-31-nasa-environmental-cleanup_n.htm), NASA and the United States Air Force estimate several decades and $1 billion are needed to clean up the carcinogenic chemicals used in launching past spacecrafts, which have contaminated the water and land around the launch site. Modern flights have had less harmful chemicals involved, but greenhouse gases and other types of pollution are going to have to be addressed.
Many MU students might ultimately play large roles in the private space exploration industry. These new industries will be driven by engineers, scientists and business leaders who will help direct and lead new innovations we have not even began to dream of yet. The benefit for current students and incoming freshmen, who will be entering the marketplace at just the right time, is we can prepare for changes and make a real impact on the emerging private market for scientific goods and services. As public sector space flights give way to the private sector, the future of space is wide open and, as future young professionals, ours for the taking.
