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All Hail Our Space Overloads

“Those who attack space maybe don’t realize that space represents hope for so many people.” - Elon Musk

Last month saw many bold steps forward in what is now known as the “billionaire space race.” On July 11, Richard Branson made a successful space flight with Virgin Galactic. A few days later, on July 20, Jeff Bezos made his own flight with Blue Origin.

Bezos, Branson, and Elon Musk are competing hard to see who can be the first to break another boundary in private space exploration. Only time will tell which entrepreneur will become the first to fund the first private moon landing or Mars colony. Truly, the sky is the limit, and space is the final frontier.

Normally, most people would be excited to further one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind. Sadly, with the world literally on fire and continuing to suffer a pandemic, many folks remain pessimistic about scientific innovation and exploration.

“It will never sit well with me that Billionaires are rushing to be the first in space vs. the first to end world hunger,” one person wrote on Twitter.

“The symbolism of a billionaire-owned, for-profit space company launching astronauts high above the heads of thousands of people protesting state brutality and oppression amid a global pandemic and economic collapse should not be lost on anyone,” another person tweeted.

Well, I, for one, welcome our new space billionaire overlords.

For the record, I am defending the private space industry. I am not stanning for these billionaires. These men are shady businessmen who have done shady things. Bezos, especially, has been most egregious. Amazon has reaped billions in government subsidies and paid zero taxes while his employees work with cut pay and benefits and in poor conditions, to the point where they have to pee in bottles because of limited bathroom breaks.

However, this need not be a zerosum game. I can criticize these men for their corrupt corporate business practices while also commending them for their bold achievements. Yes, Bezos should pay his workers more fairly. Yes, he should pay his fair share in taxes. And, yes, Blue Origin has accomplished great things.

Likewise, we don’t need to choose between going to space and solving problems here on Earth. Too many people assume money spent on a rocket launch is wasting resources that could have helped end world hunger, poverty, or climate change. Again, there is no reason we need to choose. We can tackle all of those problems and still set our eyes to the stars.

When we went to the moon in 1969, we left behind plenty of issues here on Earth like the Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Civil Rights Movement. Yet despite all of that, we still landed on the moon, fought the Commies, and gave people equal rights. If we could do all of that then, why do we have to decide between colonizing Mars and ending global warming now?

Despite what Twitter contrarians say, these private launches aren’t merely billionaire “vanity projects” any more than the 1969 space launch was vain posturing against the Ruskies. From insulin pumps to cochlear implants, to GPS and the internet, many technologies we use today were created through space exploration. No doubt more scientific and technological innovations will be produced as space travel shifts from NASA’s government monopoly to the free market. All we have to do is choose to boldly go where no man has gone before.

The views and opinions expressed in columns are not necessarily the views and opinions of Today & Tonight Magazine or Today & Tonight, Inc.