26 Years Online
••• The International Writers Magazine - Lifestyles & Culture

Intergalactic Ego • Autumn Chaveco Celebs are not a necessity in space research

In the ever-blurring lines between celebrity culture and science fiction, we’ve now reached a point where pop stars are becoming astronauts. On April 14, the Blue Origin launched six women, including pop star Katy Perry, into space for eleven whole minutes. One seat on this capsule was rumored to cost at least $28 million, making for the total cost to be about $168 million dollars to be sent into space. This is one of the biggest wastes of money on space travel there has ever been.
 
Why is it that people with money are allowed to spend so much of it on missions that are calculated PR stunts or totally unnecessary? Meanwhile, the search for extraterrestrial life and other secrets of the universe have been put on hold due to financial limitations or technological challenges.
 
A fraction of Katy Perry’s ticket to ride the Blue Origin could have covered the cost of multiple important space exploration missions that have been cancelled. For example, Terrestrial Planet Finder, a proposed space telescope designed to find Earth-like planets, was thrown to the side because of budget constraints. Various climate-monitoring missions have also been scrapped such as CLARREO, PACE, or DSCVOR. These instruments for monitoring climate change and ocean health were deactivated, and not just because of finances, but because of current administration downplaying these issues.  
 
There is absolutely no use in encouraging space to become a playground for tourism. While, celebrities and moguls can technically pay their own way up there, their money could be pooled towards the greater good of us as a species. Even the possibility of finding extraterrestrial life is a better cause than the Blue Origin flying to space for a shorter amount of time than it takes to cook a pizza.
 
To me, the discovery of a benevolent, little green man that surfs on stardust and plays poker on unknown planets is far more newsworthy than six ladies taking selfies in the low orbit of our atmosphere.

The collective identity of our world has become so occupied with media attention and front-page cover stories that we have completely lost the drive for exploring deep space. If funding and awareness for greater space travel were valued, we may have found extraterrestrial life by now. The probability of other species existing in our galaxy alone is so high it is practically undeniable.

Discovering aliens isn’t the only meaningful outcome of deep space exploration. Putting money into more technologically advanced missions could also save the future of our race as a whole.
 
At the rate the ozone layer is deteriorating, we’ll be wiped out before our own star explodes. In other words, the search for inhabitable planets has become imperative. To continue to technologically advance and create a hypothetical way for mankind to survive this, we need need to shift our priorities.
 
We need to return to a time where inspiration came from real exploration. Meaning was created in the Voyager Golden Record drifting through interstellar space and the James Webb Space Telescope peering into the early universe. At one time, these innovative missions unified us all, shaking us awake with the collective feeling that we are all hurling through space at 1.6 million miles per hour, together.
 
Our odd-defying place in this universe is one of the only things every human has in common with one another. Unifying the people living on this Earth before we go extinct is a priceless mission.

© Autumn Chaveco 4.22.25
Autumn is a senior Communications major at the College of Charleston.
 
More lifestyles

Share |