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2009
August 21
President Barack H. Obama
The White House
Dear Mr. President:
First, let me congratulate
you on your historic election last year and inauguration this year. Attached is
a precise chronology of the major events of your inauguration on January 20. As
I watched the inauguration events on television, I used a clock, updated each
evening by radio signals from National Institute of Standards and Technology
long-wave radio station WWVB, to record the precise time, to-the-second, of
each event. Assuming that the delay in receiving the television network signals
from
During the 1980s and early
1990s, I served as Astronomical Observatory Coordinator, and a Planetarium
Lecturer, at
In May, I read of your
direction for an independent review of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and their current plans for future manned space flights. Last
month, I read that the Apollo 11 astronauts urged you to continue plans for a
manned landing on Mars. With this letter, I would like to offer an alternative
view. While a manned trip to Mars would be great, other space priorities may
prove of greater value to our nation, for the immediate future.
Many consider space
exploration, unto itself, as important, due to mankind’s desire to always
explore the unknown. This is all-well-and-good, but with very limited tax
dollars, our nation’s priorities in outer space should concentrate on missions
which provide more direct benefits to the people on our own planet.
Climate change, disappearing
wildlife habitats, and other ecological problems are driven by an ever
increasing world population. Resources to support this burgeoning population
are dwindling. The future of a manned space program should concentrate on
finding new resources to support our planet’s population.
Further, a manned space
program should emphasize the establishment of space colonies beyond the Earth,
necessarily starting with the Moon, as well as manned space stations, to at
least partially relieve population pressure on our planet.
I am not suggesting that NASA or the
However, NASA, even combined
with all of the world’s other national space programs, does not have the
resources to initiate such a space colonization effort—at least not as quickly
as I believe it needs to be implemented. Moreover, with other pressing national
needs, governments cannot provide their space programs with enough additional
resources for such a sustained and long-term effort.
President Barack H. Obama 2009 August 21 Page 2 of 2
A new strategy is required. I propose that the
There are several
entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, who are working on commercial
space projects. However, as of now, the capital available to these
entrepreneurs has been limited. What I propose will require much larger capital
investments, necessarily by large corporations.
How do you convince large
corporations to make such large investments? In the mid-nineteenth century, when Congress wanted to develop the
American West, they enacted specific incentives to such development such as the
Railroad Land Grant Act of 1850 and the Homestead Act of 1862. Similar
incentives could be one answer.
To
make such incentives for outer space development will probably require the
amending, or complete rewriting, of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (which is
vague on commercial space activities). Without a new or amended space treaty
designed for the needs of the twenty-first century, which provides for property
rights on celestial bodies, outer space development will continue to lag.
A
successful, aggressive, manned, commercial space program would actually increase scientific access to outer
space. With such an effort, over time the price for human access to space will
come down. Once the price comes down, then a manned mission to Mars would
become economically feasible, by either commercial interests or NASA.
I
understand that this will all take time. However, this is all the more reason
that we should begin as soon as possible. It is a matter of priorities. Space
colonization efforts on the Moon and on space stations, no matter how long they
would take, should take priority over an American flag photo-op on Mars.
Enclosed
is a copy of a short essay I wrote, in June of 2005, for the Planetarian,
the quarterly journal of the International Planetarium Society, regarding my
proposal.
At your convenience, I would
be happy to talk to you, or your staff, further regarding this proposal.
Sincerely yours,
Glenn A. Walsh
gaw
Attachments: Precise Chronology of American Presidential
Inauguration: 2009 January 20