NASA SpaceX Launch: Why Ain’t We More Excited for Crew Dragon?
30 May 2020, during the global crisis of COVID-19 and just five days after the killing of George Floyd. The Crew Dragon was successfully launched. Is this a bad timing, or does it give people a silver lining of hope in a difficult time?
Well, depends on how you see it. There are quite opposite responses on Twitter, and I want to understand why.
Since ‘First man on the moon’
July 20, 1969 Moon landing. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of differences consider it has been over 30 years since the United States send the first astronaut to space. In the Crew Dragon project, there is not an ethical minority or woman in sight. At least in the international space station. However, it is over 30 years since the first man on the moon. Why are we still seeing a very similar picture?
Today, only 10% astronauts in NASA are women and 28% are ethnical minority including 12% of Black or African American. It is clear the NASA is aware of the need to work on inclusion in employment, but it goes without saying we have a long way to go and the space is just part of it.
Colonialism is dead
“Colonialism is a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another.” — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Elon Musk often speaks about ‘Colonise Mars’, left me wondering, despite admiring his achievement in technology and being a successful entrepreneur. Is it really a good motivation? You can argue the problem is false because there are no ‘people’ in the space. It is what it’s standing for that bothers me, as it suggests ownership and power over another, whether is people or as part of nature. And I thought the concept of Colonialism was dead after so many countries have been relieved from this old-fashion system.
What’s after SpaceX might be more exciting
Yes, it is a significant achievement in science and innovation. I am excited to see what these capabilities able to make the world a better place. Musk talks about electric aircraft in aviation to reduce carbon footprints, and to me, that is a lot more exciting. There are a lot of opportunities from the innovation of space engineering, however, while we are excited about sending astronauts into space, it is also a critical time to reflect on the issues urgently need to resolve on earth.
