OPENSPACE 24: The Future of Space Exploration | Page 25

THE FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION
Credit: ESA.
Credit: ESA.
When man stepped on the Moon, when the Curiosity rover landed on
Mars, when the Rosetta mission successfully landed on a comet, when New
Horizons successfully flew by Pluto, when LISA Pathfinder proved that we
could detect gravitational waves from space, a team effort of thousands of
people was required.
Space exploration needs people getting together to find solutions to
technical and scientific challenges and requires us to be part of something
bigger than ourselves. Paul McNamara, LISA Pathfinder project scientist,
recently stated that teamwork was one of the most memorable successes
of the mission and also pointed out that collaboration is the future of space
exploration.
Space exploration expands our horizons and provides answers to profound
questions that help us to explain how the universe began and to understand
“If humanity is to
continue for another
million years, our future
lies in boldly going
where no one else has
gone before.”
Professor Stephen Hawking
our place in it. Humans instinctively pursue discovery. It is that thirst for
knowledge that makes us want to build space stations, moon bases, and
cities on Mars. Let’s see where the future will take us.
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