As we prepare to mark the 40th anniversary of the first manned mission to the moon on 20th July, it is worth taking stock of whether Space is the exciting frontier that it once was. Former UK Chief Government Scientist, Professor Sir David King, thinks it has lost its lustre. The pool of Space engineers is diminishing and the last person to walk on the moon was in 1972. There are now numerous "new frontiers" being explored, so despite some enormous potential benefits for humanity, Space no longer holds the same excitement. Should we discount Space? There are a number of potential interesting new developments to track.

 

At US$95,000 or more a ticket, Space could be the next exotic holiday location, with its own fashion line. We might not even have to wait for the cable-based elevator to get there, as a giant inflatable tower could be faster.

 

Resource constraints might make countries seek sources beyond Earth: over a million tons of Helium 3 are estimated to be on the moon, enough to power the entire world for thousands of years. And renowned physicist, Freeman Dyson, has suggested the Dyson sphere which would surround a star with satellites and beam all the energy retrieved to a nearby planet.

 

If Space increasingly becomes a location of human activity, connectivity will be essential. NASA has finished its first deep-Space test of what could become an "interplanetary Internet". How long will it be before scientists can email rover@nasa.gov.mars?

 

An increased human presence in Space would also raise governance challenges. Issues of environmental degradation would no longer be confined to Earth. As America, Europe, China, India and Russia race to build permanent moon bases and begin mining, some fear the impact could be cataclysmic.

 

 

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