Beyond Earth (ATWG) - Chapter 2 - The Meaning of Space by Langdon Morris
From The Space Library
Chapter 2
The Meaning of Space
If you go far away from the lights of the city on a clear and moonless night and you gaze into the sky, you will behold the awe-inspiring vastness of space; millions of stars and galaxies will twinkle at you across incomprehensible distances, beckoning you to come, to explore, to discover! What is this universe, you may ask yourself. And what is our place in it? How was it made? Who else lives here?
These are timeless questions that even our most distant ancestors asked, for the very nature of space calls to us in ways that we cannot escape. It confronts us with some of the most basic and fundamental questions about our existence, our past, and our destiny; and the depths of space, its vastness and incomprehensibility, embody for us a set of meanings that are unlike any other.
For example, space, the concept of outer space and its sheer enormity, makes us wonder how rare life might be in the universe; it makes us think about the possibility of voyages across the unlimited black emptiness from our world to others. It manifests the apparent outcome of billions of years of history emanating from a single explosion of incomprehensible power, and all of this combines to make space one of the most provocative and compelling concepts among all the enduring icons that burn within human consciousness.
Among the approximately 6.5 billion people who are alive today, only a tiny handful are likely to ever venture into space during the course of their lifetimes. Fifty, one hundred, perhaps five hundred, or maybe even 5000 will have the opportunity to escape Earth's gravity and then gaze back upon our small planet.
What will this experience mean to them? For these few, the idea of "outer space" will surely have a unique and transcendent meaning, for it might well be the unique and defining experience of a lifetime, an experience without parallel, an epiphany.
For the rest of us, however, the meaning of space doesn't have to be any less profound even though it will necessarily lack the vital dimension of experience. This is so because space carries meanings that are unique and unmatched by any other aspect of the human experience, either on Earth or off of it we can all partake of these meanings regardless of whether our status is astronaut or armchair astronaut.
Still the very words I've used to convey the nature of space - "vast," "inconceivable," "incomprehensible," "emptiness" - these words and any others that we might choose are still inadequate to express the scale and scope of space, and we find in the end that our language is simply insufficient for the task. The meaning of space is beyond the capacity of our expression, as it is also in many very real ways far beyond our comprehension.
And yet we must try to understand what it does mean, and we must try to express that meaning, for space is the context and container of life on Earth, of our life. It is our local neighborhood in this tiny part of the galaxy we call home.
Space is also, perhaps our destiny, for although a mass exodus to space may yet be centuries in the future, we who are living today cannot escape the idea that a human diaspora will eventually bring human civilization to numerous bodies throughout the solar system. We must also consider the possibility that an active human presence in space is not only our challenge, but also our responsibility. And finally, it is certainly true that whatever we see in space, or imagine that we see, is merely a reflection of ourselves, and the incomprehensible scale of space makes it simply a mirror of the incomprehensible depth within ourselves.
These are four meanings of space - the local neighborhood; human destiny; responsibility; and the psychology of space - that we will explore in this chapter.
Welcome to the Neighborhood
Five decades ago space travel was a dream, but then with billions of dollars and the capabilities of thousands of brilliant and dedicated scientists and engineers, humans launched the space age. And so it is in our own lifetimes that the meaning of space has changed from the domain of science fiction, to that of science. Space is no longer just the realm of imagination or possibility, but of actuality, and in this process our neighborhood has grown.
While forty years is a mere instant on the Earth's vast scale of billions of years, in the context of human history and human civilization forty decades is a significant span of time, and during this period as we have witnessed the transformation of space from a fantasy to a reality, we have also seen a transformation in the reality of human life back on Earth. We see ourselves differently now, for we have looked back from the moon to see the tiny blue ball, and this perspective has nurtured a much greater appreciation for our extraordinary planet. We know and do things differently now, for space science has transformed meteorology (with weather satellites), agriculture (with mapping and analysis from space), transportation (with GPS), communication (with radio, television, and cell satellites), medicine (with telemetry) as well as astronomy, physics, all of the materials sciences, rocketry, and also, sadly, warfare.
Spacecraft have charted all the major bodies in our solar system, and human footprints still dot the face of the Moon (along with the debris we've left there, and on other neighbors as well). Within a few years Voyager will cross the conceptual boundary between the solar system and what lies beyond, and continue on its journey into the unknown.
Forty years along, the space movement has also affected our attitudes and expectations, for it has given us some perspective on how small the Earth is, and how unique life might be. A little more knowledge about our neighborhood has indeed been transformational for the human race.
The Human Destiny in Space
It is our destiny, certainly, to imagine our future in space. The most successful movie series of all time, Star Wars, has made a billionaire of its creator by combining the timeless human themes of deceit, intrigue, love, anger, fear, and greed, with an unbounded imagination about hyper-space travel, weapons of unimaginable power, regular trade between planets, galactic empires and wars, and even knights with mystical powers. For the aficionado of Star Wars or any other type of science fiction, space means an infinite and uncharted domain unbound by everyday rules where you can invent anything you want.
For the aficionado of science however, space is also full of possibilities, for it means an infinite and largely uncharted domain full of wonderful puzzles and mysteries. Every branch of science stands to learn from experiments conducted in science, and we are just beginning to explore what can be done.
But what will be done? What is our destiny in space?
Humans will surely return to the moon, to live and to work, and thereby establish human civilization permanently beyond Earth. We will colonize Mars, and perhaps asteroids and other planets as well, and extend our presence far from our original home. Space-based commerce will become a commonplace, and space tourism a significant industry. Well, we might do all that. And we might not.
We each have our own opinion about what's going to happen, but of course only time will truly tell the tale. Until then, we can entertain ourselves with speculation, and by engaging in the actual work of turning our visions into reality, and in so doing shaping the future to more closely match our desires and expectations.
Nevertheless, global interest in the space movement indicates that it is neither a fad nor a boondoggle, but a serious scientific, commercial, and perhaps also a nationalistic undertaking. For example, in addition to the Russian space program, still active as a remnant of the Cold War, the Chinese space program has stated its commitment to land a man on the moon, India also has an active space program, as do Japan and the nations of Europe. What do all these nations seek in space?
For one thing, they all want to be involved in whatever space commerce turns out to be, if it turns out to be important. There is also a military dimension, for space could represents the highest, most advantageous ground; hence, the renewed competition to reach the moon could be the beginning of a new age of empire, a space-arms-race.
So is it our destiny to use the minerals and energy in space to enhance life on Earth, and so extend the human presence elsewhere in the solar system? Is it our destiny to colonize the solar system and extend our nationalist impulses beyond the atmosphere? Is it our destiny to war in space? Or is it only our destiny to imagine these things?
Redefining Our Responsibility
Dreams that our grandparents and great grandparents imagined, today's space scientists and astronauts have accomplished. In so doing they have redefined reality.
They have engaged in a profound learning process, for every voyage has been a venture into many dimensions of the unknown, an unparalleled opportunity to learn about science, about technology, about the Earth, and about ourselves. For in space we can learn things about all of these dimensions that we cannot learn on Earth, which gives us the opportunity to gain knowledge that could improve life on Earth. In this respect, then, establishing a stable and permanent presence in space in order to perform permanent science is not just a luxury, but perhaps also a responsibility.
Stated somewhat differently, now that we can voyage in space, we must voyage in space. Our unbounded curiosity engages with our unbounded capacity to create problems for ourselves, and off we go to space to seek solutions that are unattainable on Earth.
The Very Distant Mirror
Space is an infinite and suggestive canvas onto which we project our hopes, our fears, our desires, and our imaginations. In this respect, space means what we want it to mean. And as so few of us will actually ever venture into space, our fantasies will remain safely protected from the cold hand of reality's limitations.
In the domain of our imaginations, then, space is an archetype, an icon, or symbol that refers to what's "out there;" but what we imagine is "out there" is, for most of us, a mirror of what's "in here." So what's "out there" is probably quite different for each of us.
For some, space is an irresistible challenge, the "place" to which we will one day voyage en mass, and in so doing will define the destiny of humanity. For these people, space is a calling, a dream, a possibility. For others, space is a frightening unknown, a nightmare of airless, frozen blackness.
For some it is a mystery, perhaps the ultimate mystery, beckoning without pause, posing questions and riddles that we cannot possibly answer, but which we are compelled to wonder about nevertheless.
Clearly, then, space has so many different meanings because as a mirror, what we see - or imagine that we see - in our idea of space is largely a reflection of that which is inside of ourselves. Dreams and nightmares are projected from within us onto the nearly blank canvas of space. In this respect, space is merely what we imagine it to be; what we want it to be
This reminds us that space may not actually be the "final frontier" that the writers of Star Trek imagined it to be. Oh, it is a frontier to be sure, a vast and challenging one. But as also a mirror, space shows us that the true frontiers are not only the ones we find without, but also those we find within.
Space, as a concept, merely reflects that which is already inside of us, hidden and largely unconscious, evoked perhaps in dreams, or in symbols, reactions, or images that reside deep below the threshold of self-awareness. Space, then, is the abstraction onto which we project our unconscious fears and desires; we see outside what actually lies hidden within.
Summary
Space may be our destiny, and our descendants may one day look back upon our era as the earliest dawning of a human diaspora that eventually spreads our presence far into the solar system, and beyond. Or perhaps our journeys into space will remain the province of an elite few, chosen for their bravery, their scientific skill, their fortitude, their wealth, or their thirst for adventure. Perhaps space will be militarized, the home to fighting battalions of the space corps; an outcome that certainly would be a tragedy.
Perhaps we will learn to exploit space to solve some of our most pressing problems here on Earth; could it provide unlimited energy? Untold riches? New raw materials?
But in whatever form we voyage into space, whether it is by means of ever more clever robots, or by a small cadre of specialist-adventurers, or if indeed space becomes a realistic destination for the common tourist, miner, or bartender, when we go to space one thing always remains the same, and that is us.
We take ourselves to space in whatever form we go, and in so doing we may confront the sublime mysteries of the universe as we strive to touch the face of God. So what we will surely find in space, no matter who it is that goes, and by what means, and for whatever purpose, is ourselves. Our dreams. Our fears. Our desires. For the truth is that space is not the only final frontier; we ourselves are the final frontier, and all the mysteries without are mirrored by all the mysteries within. However we go to space, what we will ultimately confront is the sublime profoundness of the human spirit, as well as the pettiness, fears, desires, and greed of the human psyche.
Hence, the greatest challenges of human life are not only the mysteries of the universe that tempt us from without, but the mysteries of ourselves that lie within the human consciousness, human knowledge, and human compassion.
Going to space will teach us as much about ourselves as it does about the universe of which we are a part; and thus our adventures in space may be the most important thing that humanity has ever accomplished. For the greatest dangers that human society faces now are those that humans create, and if the voyage into space can help us to understand ourselves better then it may be the most significant and worthwhile undertaking in the history of civilization.
To fulfill this destiny is to fully grasp the profound meaning of space, and the opportunity that our unique moment in history offers. Will we be astute enough to grasp it? This is the essence of our challenge.
So what is the meaning of space? Contemplating on space puts us into contact with our own mortality and raises the possibility of immortality; space reminds us of our constrained experience of time and space, and makes us wonder about the unconstrained expanse of infinity. Space is the unlimited mirror of our own limited selves. Space is the profound counterpart to our sometimes banal, Earth-bound, day-to-day existence. It reminds us to never, ever forget the search for enduring truths that transform the dully mundane into transcendent inspiration and hope. This is the meaning of space, and as we venture to explore it, it is we who are transformed.
[Note: Fourth Generation R&D includes a detailed interview with Ken Cox in which he tells the fascinating story of his involvement in the successful return of the damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft following the explosion en route to the moon.]
Extracted from the book Beyond Earth - The Future of Humans in Space edited by Bob Krone ©2006 Apogee Books ISBN 978-1-894959-41-4
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