To Boldly Go … Or Not: A Public Hearing Case Study

by
Erik Zavrel
University at Buffalo
State University of New York

Part I—Prelude to Space

The following case study presents a transcript of a fictionalized conference held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, attended by NASA officials, space scientists, aerospace engineers, space enthusiasts, ardent NASA supporters, and strident NASA critics. The panel of experts consists of the following fictional cast: James Everett, Administrator of NASA; Susan Bowman, the founder of the Ares Society, a space advocacy group with the goal of sending astronauts to Mars; and Richard Greene, Executive Director of the Space Exploration Society, a space advocacy group interested in exploring the entire solar system. Apart from NASA, any resemblance to real persons or societies with these names is strictly coincidental.

The topic of the conference was President George W. Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration (VSE, or Moon-to-Mars Plan). Those in attendance were able to listen to experts debate whether the VSE is what NASA should be committing to and also voice their own opinions. The Vision for Space Exploration, announced by President Bush in January 2004, outlined an ambitious plan to return to the Moon before voyaging to Mars. Moreover, the Space Shuttle is to be phased out upon completion of America’s obligations in the construction of the International Space Station around 2010 (Sietzen, 2004). The Space Shuttle will be replaced by the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, an enlarged, modernized Apollo capsule, that will use proven technology developed four decades ago. The plan calls for NASA to return humans to the Moon by 2017 at the earliest, and 2020 at the latest (Sietzen, 2004)—a full half-century after the first landing on the Moon in 1969. The Bush administration has not allocated any additional funding for NASA to meet these goals, yet the current NASA administrator, James Everett, is adamant that NASA can make VSE a reality on its existing annual budget of about 17 billion dollars. Everett has earned the ire of many space scientists who have found their pet projects either indefinitely delayed or canceled outright as money is reallocated to meeting the proposed VSE timetable (Stover, 2004).

Questions

1. Should America return to the Moon? If so, why? If not, why not? What reasons could justify the great expenditure of funds, time, and national will?
2. Is this return long overdue or should NASA be focusing on other goals? Should America skip the Moon and head onto Mars? Why might it make sense to return to the Moon before voyaging to Mars? Consider such factors as the length of journey and hazards involved.
3. Is the cost of human spaceflight justifiable with the numerous problems confronting the nation today or could robotic exploration return comparable results at a fraction of the cost?
4. What factors were involved in President John F. Kennedy’s mandate of “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth?” Are any of these factors present at the current time?
5. Do you think there is wide public support for a return to the Moon or is the American public indifferent or even hostile to the idea?

Date Posted: July 03, 2008.

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