Memorandum 13
Submission from James Molony, Medical
Student, University of Glasgow
I am writing to you as an individual who has
had a keen interest in space flight since an early age, and who
would very much like to see the further pursuit of it by the British
government. For the past two years I have attended the UK Space
Medicine conferences held in Leicester; I have been fortunate
to meet people that share my interest in the effects of space
travel on the human body and how this knowledge can be applied
to terrestrial conditions. However due to the lack of funding
provided by the British government for this endeavour our group
is very much at a crossroads, and needs to have a commitment from
the British government to support us if we are to grow further.
There are several reasons as to why I believe
investing in a British manned space programme to be worthwhile,
especially with regard to medical research. Foremost is the fact
that the UK has a number of talented individuals who are interested
in this area, but find themselves unable to act without help from
the government. The personnel are there to provide the embryonic
team of a dedicated manned space programme who simply need the
support to do so. Learning about human physiology in space provides
us with the answers to questions posed here on Earth and there
could be in the future medical spin-offs from a British manned
space programme.
Speaking as a citizen of the Republic of Ireland,
my country has realized the way space captures the imagination
and have sought to utilize this for the past several years. The
FAS "Science Challenge" programme seeks to use space
to promote Science and Engineering in careers (http://www.fas.ie/science/index.html).
With science courses seeing a downturn in the UK the announcement
of an investment in a field which is as much in the public eye
as manned space flight might provide a catalyst for renewed interest
in the sciences, providing a firm skills basis for the country
in the future.
I hope that these arguments, along with similar
ones presented by my colleagues, will persuade you into realising
just how important manned space flight is. The UK is at a crucial
junction with regard to space medicine. The interest is there
now—if nothing happens then these people might seek to go
elsewhere to further their dreams and it will be too late. And
that would be a shame.
October 2006
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