Memorandum 8
Submission from Dr I A Crawford, Lecturer
in Planetary Science, School of Earth Sciences, Birkbeck College,
University of London
THE SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL CASE FOR UK INVOLVEMENT
IN HUMAN SPACE EXPLORATION
INTRODUCTION
1. In January 2004, President Bush announced
a new Vision for Space Exploration, which has refocused NASA's
objectives towards human missions to the Moon and Mars, and the
European Space Agency's Aurora Programme has established
similar objectives for Europe. In this new political context,
the UK must soon decide whether, and to what extent, it wishes
to participate in these exciting endeavours.
2. It is true that human space exploration
is expensive, and the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia
in February 2003 reminds us that it is sometimes costly in human,
as well as in merely monetary, terms. For these reasons it has
been a long-standing policy of HMG for the UK not to participate
in human space activities, preferring instead to concentrate on
those aspects of space exploration which can be accomplished solely
through robotic means. On the other hand, it can be argued that
humans are in fact uniquely qualified to undertake a number of
key scientific investigations in the space environment. These
range from life and physical sciences research in the microgravity,
to geological and biological fieldwork on planetary surfaces.
3. From a strictly scientific perspective
there are three broad research areas which stand to benefit from
a human presence in space:
(i) Research in microgravity;
(ii) Space astronomy; and
(iii) Planetary exploration.
I address these specifically scientific benefits
in Paragraphs 4 to 9 below, the broader cultural and political
aspects in 10 to 12, and offer some conclusions in Paragraphs
13 to 15.
RESEARCH IN
MICROGRAVITY
4. The microgravity environment of low Earth
orbit provides unique opportunities for research in the life sciences
(including human physiology and medicine), materials science,
and fundamental physics. Further progress in these areas will
rely on the unique capabilities of the International Space Station
(ISS). Although the UK has so far opted out of microgravity research
on the ISS, the potential scientific benefits are well documented
and were recognized by the independent Microgravity Review Panel
in 2003. This independent report [1], which was commissioned by
BNSC, concluded that the potential scientific benefits justify
the UK's participation in the space station utilisation programme
(ELIPS) and noted that:
"without access to such facilities... the
UK will be excluded from entire areas of scientific endeavour."
5. Probably the most important scientific
benefits of microgravity research will accrue to the life sciences
where research in the space environment has demonstrated the potential
to provide unique insights into such areas as gene expression,
immunological function, bone physiology, and neurovestibular and
cardiovascular function. These areas are important for understanding
a range of terrestrial disease processes (eg osteoporosis, muscle
atrophy, cardiac impairment, and balance and co-ordination defects),
and as such have potential medical applications here on Earth.
The UK has a growing space biomedicine community well-placed to
benefit from, and contribute to, these important research fields.
SPACE ASTRONOMY
6. From almost the very beginning of the
space age, astronomy has benefited from being able to place instruments
above the obscuring effects of Earth's atmosphere. Most of these
observations have been performed by robotic spacecraft, without
human intervention. However, one of the principal lessons from
the most successful of these instruments, Hubble Space Telescope
(HST), is that access to a human spaceflight infrastructure can
greatly extend the life, and enhance the efficiency, of space-based
astronomical instruments. Since its launch in 1990 the HST has
been serviced by four Space Shuttle missions, and a fifth now
appears likely. As documented by a recent report of the US National
Research Council [2], without this human intervention the HST
would have been a much shorter lived, and far less scientifically
versatile, instrument than it has in fact turned out to be.
7. There are important lessons here for
the future of space astronomy. A number of large space-based telescopes
are currently being planned (including the James Webb Space Telescope
and ESA's Darwin project, in both of which the UK has an interest),
and the HST experience teaches us that the operational lifetime,
and scientific productivity, of these instruments are likely to
be enhanced if a human spaceflight infrastructure exists which
is able to maintain and upgrade them. In the longer term, astronomy
may also benefit from a renewed human presence on the Moon, as
the lunar surface provides an excellent location from which to
perform astronomical observations across a wide range of wavelengths.
PLANETARY EXPLORATION
8. The Apollo programme clearly demonstrated
the scientific value of astronauts as explorers of planetary surfaces,
principally because they bring agility, versatility and intelligence
to exploration in a way that robots cannot. Although it is true
that humans will face many dangers and obstacles operating on
other planets, mostly due to their physiological limitations when
compared to robots, the potential scientific returns (resulting
from rapid sample acquisition, the ability to integrate widely
disparate data and past experience into a coherent picture, and
the on-the-spot ability to recognise observations to be of importance
even if they relate to phenomena not anticipated in advance) is
more than sufficient to justify employing astronauts as field
scientists on other planets.
9. The scientific advantages of having human
explorers on the Moon and Mars were recognized by the October
2005 Report of the Royal Astronomical Society's Commission on
the Scientific Case for Human Space Exploration [3], which found
that
"Profound scientific questions relating
to the history of the solar system and the existence of life beyond
Earth can best—perhaps only—be achieved by human exploration
on the Moon or Mars, supported by appropriate automated systems..."
In the specific case of lunar exploration, these
arguments have recently been reiterated by the US National Research
Council report on "The Scientific Context for the Exploration
of the Moon" [4], which identified a number of areas where
a renewed human presence on the Moon would yield scientific benefits
not otherwise attainable. There is little doubt that the UK planetary
science community would benefit from involvement in these exciting
activities.
SCIENCE EDUCATION
10. Space exploration is inherently exciting,
and as such is an obvious vehicle for inspiring the public in
general, and young people in particular, to take an increased
interest in science and engineering. This was explicitly recognized
in the conclusions of the UK Microgravity Review Panel [1]:
"We have also found considerable public
interest in activities in space, particularly those that have
human involvement... This is important in addressing the need
for future students to study science and technology subjects and
in engaging the public in scientific issues."
A similar point was made by the RAS Report [3].
Although these arguments have so far fallen on deaf political
ears in the UK, such inspiration must be of value to any modern,
knowledge-based economy, especially at a time when the number
of young people opting for careers in science and engineering
is falling.
INDUSTRY
11. Human spaceflight is technically very
demanding, and this is indeed one of the reasons why it is so
expensive. However, for this very reason, engaging in human space
activities must necessarily act as a stimulus for employment,
skill development, and technical innovation in the participating
industries. This expansion of technical capabilities is likely
to find applications in other areas of the wider economy. Moreover,
under the ESA principle of "juste retour", expenditure
incurred as part of ESA's human spaceflight programmes would be
invested back in UK, thereby stimulating UK industrial innovation
and protecting UK jobs. Currently UK industry is effectively excluded
from these potential benefits.
INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION
12. Space exploration provides a natural
focus for international cooperation, as indicated by the collaboration
of some 15 nation states (currently excluding the UK) in the construction
and operation of the ISS. In trying to build a stable geopolitical
environment on Earth, it must be desirable to increase the range
and depth of such collaborative endeavours. Human space exploration
is especially, and perhaps uniquely, well-suited to enhancing
a sense of global solidarity owing to its globally high media
profile. From this point of view, it would seem to be desirable
that a major economy such as the UK is seen to be "pulling
its weight" in the international exploration of space.
CONCLUSIONS
13. The United Kingdom is the only major
industrialised economy that has consistently declined to participate
in human space exploration, and the reasons for this anomalous
situation need to be addressed. Present UK government thinking
on the subject was spelt out by the Science Minister, Lord Sainsbury,
in a speech at the Royal Society on 17 October 2001:
"We also do not intend actively to participate
in manned exploration of the Solar System. This is because we
are not convinced that the benefits of human exploration go beyond
the political and cultural into the scientific and commercial...
We require a solid justification rooted in science or commercial
arguments before supporting any human spaceflight programme."
This is an interesting, if rather muddled, justification
for present policy. It acknowledges that "political and cultural"
benefits of human spaceflight exist, but it implies that these
are not in themselves sufficient to justify investing in it. Instead,
Lord Sainsbury's statement attempts to justify UK policy regarding
human spaceflight by its alleged lack of scientific benefits.
14. However, as pointed out above, clear
scientific benefits of human space exploration can in fact be
readily identified. Given that participation in human space activities
would also be inspiring UK school children, supporting UK industry,
and making a positive contribution to international cooperation,
there appears to be a strong case for re-examining UK policy this
regard. This is especially so given the new international context
provided by ESA's Aurora programme, and the US Vision for
Space Exploration, where UK participation would provide wide-ranging
scientific, industrial and educational benefits that cannot obviously
be attained in any other way.
15. In the light of the above I urge the
Select Committee to take this opportunity to examine the case
for recommending a change in UK policy with respect to human space
exploration, and in particular to assess the possibilities for
UK involvement in the human aspects of ESA's Aurora programme
(in preparation for the next ESA Ministerial Council Meeting in
2008), and/or possible bi-lateral involvement with the US in the
Vision for Space Exploration.
References
[1] Wakeham, B, Sykes, R, Williams, P, Garwood,
S: 2003, Recommendations of the Microgravity Review Panel,
(http://www.microgravity.org.uk/recommendations.pdf).
[2] Assessment of Options for Extending
the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope: Final Report, US National
Research Council (available at http://www.nap.edu/books/0309095301/html).
[3] Close, F, Dudeney, J, Pounds, K (2005).
Report of the RAS Commission on the Scientific Case
for Human Space Exploration (http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~iac/RAS_Report.pdf).
[4] The Scientific Context for the Exploration
of the Moon, US National Research Council (available at http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~iac/NRC_Moon_Report.pdf).
[5] Bezdek, RH and Wendling, RM: 1992, "Sharing
Out NASA's Spoils", Nature, 355, 105-106.
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