The role of the astronaut is in flux
The article explores the evolving purpose of human spaceflight as NASA's Artemis program and private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin push for lunar bases and tourism. It questions whether the high costs and risks of sending humans into space are justified compared to the potential scientific and commercial benefits of robotic missions.
Why it matters
As space exploration shifts from government-led prestige to commercial and multi-national competition, society must decide the value and ethics of human presence in space.
Human spaceflight has been racking up new milestones. But we’re still grappling with a fundamental question: Why go in the first place?
When the four astronauts on board NASA’s Artemis II swung around the moon earlier this year, they set a new record for the farthest humans have ever ventured from Earth, surpassing the distance set by Apollo 13 in 1972 by some 4,000 miles.
While no space mission can live up to the historic touchdown of Apollo 11—a spectacle that 20% of the world population watched live—Artemis II still attracted massive public interest. It drew tens of millions of viewers and inspired outpourings of “moon joy,” a term coined spontaneously during the mission that became a viral sensation.
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