The following essay is reprinted with permission from Most Americans (69%) believe it is essential that the United States continue to be a world leader in space. But only a subsection of that group believes NASA should prioritize sending people to the Moon, according to\u00a0a new report<\/a>\u00a0released by the Pew Research Center. The study surveyed over 10,000 U.S. adults on their attitudes toward NASA and their expectations for the space industry over the next few decades.<\/p>\n As scholars who study\u00a0international relations in space<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0history of the space program<\/a>, we are interested in understanding how Americans view space activities, and how their perspectives might affect the future of both U.S. and global space developments.<\/p>\n The United States\u2019 most visible effort to maintain world leadership in space is arguably its\u00a0Artemis Program<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0land humans on the Moon<\/a>\u00a0by late 2024. The U.S. has emphasized international cooperation, bringing in Europe, Japan and Canada as partners in the program.<\/p>\n With China and Russia\u00a0undertaking a parallel effort<\/a>\u00a0to land people on the Moon, many see a competitive element to these plans as well.<\/p>\n One of the most striking features of the recent poll is how similar it looks to earlier public opinion polling, especially\u00a0one conducted in 2018<\/a>. The popularity of NASA has remained consistently high for decades, frequently with a favorability rating between 60% and 70%, far higher than many other federal agencies. But the specific priorities of the U.S. space program have often been at odds with public opinion.<\/p>\n While 65% of Americans said\u00a0in the new Pew survey<\/a>\u00a0it was essential that NASA continue to be involved in space exploration, only 12% said that sending human astronauts to the Moon should be NASA\u2019s top priority. Although somewhat at odds with the national space agenda, this valuation is not new. Even during the 1960s, when NASA undertook Project Apollo, Americans ranked solving problems on Earth \u2013 such as pollution, poverty and national beautification \u2013\u00a0above landing humans on the Moon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most Americans for the majority of the 1960s responded in public opinion polls that the Apollo program\u00a0was not worth its high budget<\/a>. Over time, however, the\u00a0Apollo program has grown in popularity<\/a>.<\/p>\n Between 1989 and 1995, polling revealed that the public thought the U.S. space program should\u00a0focus on robotic spacecraft<\/a>\u00a0as opposed to crewed missions. This position began to change in the mid-1990s with docking of the space shuttle with the Russian space station and several blockbuster space-themed films.<\/p>\n Despite\u00a0moderate public support<\/a>, human spaceflight consistently receives the majority share of\u00a0U.S. civilian space funding<\/a>, suggesting that public opinion and the national space agenda stand apart. The most recent poll results underscore how\u00a0a combination of rationales<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 including advancing science, national stature, geopolitics, economic interests and national security \u2013 rather than public opinion alone have shaped national space priorities throughout time.<\/p>\n Additionally, the recent poll explored people\u2019s expectations for the space industry. It found 60% of people believed NASA\u2019s top priority should be monitoring asteroids that could hit the Earth. NASA does have national responsibility for this job \u2013 referred to as planetary defense \u2013 but the office receives\u00a0less than 1% of NASA\u2019s budget<\/a>, or US$138 million out of $25.4 billion in 2023.<\/p>\n Even with its relatively modest budget, the office has made significant progress. This included the\u00a0Double Asteroid Redirect Test<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 the world\u2019s\u00a0first planetary defense experiment<\/a>.\u00a0DART intentionally<\/a>\u00a0crashed into an asteroid<\/a>\u00a0in September 2022 to understand how the impact would change the asteroid\u2019s orbit. The results of the test could help scientists understand how to deflect asteroids that threaten the Earth.<\/p>\n
Private activity in space goes back to the 1960s, with the creation of commercial\u00a0communication satellite companies<\/a>\u00a0and growth of large\u00a0defense contractors<\/a>. However, many experts view the wave of companies that started in the 2000s as marking an important change.<\/p>\n While earlier companies often relied heavily on the government to set requirements and fund projects, these \u201cnew space<\/a>\u201d companies set their own priorities and often see the government as only one of many customers.<\/p>\n These companies are bringing new capabilities to the market. For example,\u00a0Planet<\/a>\u00a0collects daily images of the Earth,\u00a0Umbra<\/a>\u00a0uses radar to take pictures at night and through clouds,\u00a0Astroscale<\/a>\u00a0is demonstrating the ability to remove debris from space, and\u00a0Astrobotic<\/a>\u00a0is developing a commercial Moon lander.<\/p>\n Many Americans view private activity in space positively, but a large portion have not yet formed an opinion. While 48% of Americans surveyed said private companies are doing a good job building rockets and spacecraft that are safe and reliable, another 39% were unsure. Similarly, 47% of Americans said private companies are making important contributions to space exploration, but another 40% were unsure.<\/p>\n
Companies like\u00a0SpaceX<\/a>,\u00a0Blue Origin<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Virgin Galactic<\/a>\u00a0are\u00a0beginning to take tourists into space<\/a>. Doing so in a safe and sustainable way will be essential to the future perception of this industry. Priorities include carefully designing safety systems and procedures and carrying out careful analysis of any\u00a0anomolies<\/a>\u00a0that occur during flight.<\/p>\n Overall, Americans are optimistic about the future of space activity. The poll found 55% of Americans expect people will routinely travel to space as tourists within the next 50 years.<\/p>\n A significant portion of Americans (44%) see a more militaristic future for space. They believe the U.S. will definitely or probably fight against other nations in space sometime in the next 50 years. Warfare could include the destruction or disabling of U.S. or other nations\u2019 strategic satellites.<\/p>\n By some definitions, conflict in space has\u00a0already occurred<\/a>. At the outset of the Ukraine War, Russia carried out a\u00a0cyberattack against the ViaSat satellite network<\/a>\u00a0used by the Ukrainian military. Russia also regularly\u00a0jams GPS signals<\/a>\u00a0in Ukraine. However, no nation has ever physically attacked another nation\u2019s satellite in space.<\/p>\n There is\u00a0no ban on anti-satellite weapons<\/a>, but in December 2022, 155 nations\u00a0passed a United Nations General Assembly resolution<\/a>\u00a0calling for a halt to one type of anti-satellite testing. In addition, the United Nations\u2019\u00a0open-ended working group on reducing space threats<\/a>\u00a0has been meeting since 2022 to help avoid conflict in space.<\/p>\n Americans are also concerned about space debris \u2013 69% think there will definitely or probably be a major problem with debris in space by 2073. Space debris can include defunct satellites, discarded rocket bodies, or pieces of satellites resulting from accidental collisions or anti-satellite tests.<\/p>\n There is reason for concern. The number of objects in space has grown rapidly, from just over 1,000 in 2013 to\u00a06,718 satellites today<\/a>. Many countries have\u00a0announced plans for new large constellations<\/a>\u00a0of satellites, with some experts predicting there could be\u00a060,000 satellites in orbit by 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n Right now the United States maintains the most advanced\u00a0system for monitoring space objects<\/a>. It shares\u00a0information and collision warnings<\/a>\u00a0with satellite operators all over the world, but there are no rules that require those operators to take action. As space traffic increases, this ad hoc system will need to change.<\/p>\n The United States is developing a new\u00a0Traffic Coordination System for Space<\/a>\u00a0that will improve data sharing and coordination with commercial and international partners. Countries have been working within the United Nations to develop and implement guidelines for the\u00a0long-term sustainability<\/a>\u00a0of outer space activities.<\/p>\n Still, the U.S. will need to coordinate with countries around the world to ensure satellite technology doesn\u2019t outpace safety and give organizations like NASA the ability to continue leading activities in space.<\/p>\n This article was originally published on The Conversation<\/a>. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/210218\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\")
The Conversation<\/a>, an online publication covering the latest research.<\/em><\/p>\nUS dominance in space<\/h2>\n
Planetary defense<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/figure>\nPrivate enterprise in space<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/figure>\nMilitarization of space<\/h2>\n
Space debris<\/h2>\n