Bold missions and the big picture: the societal impact of America’s space program

When it comes to our enterprise in space, the desire for short-term benefits and fulfillment often clouds our perception and appreciation of any long-term societal impact. Too often, exploration is seen as a means to the technologies, or “spin-offs,” that can be transferred to the private sector. The opposite is true. For a space program, technology is the means to the end that is more exploration and more discoveries. A space program exists to take on the daring, sometimes even audacious, missions the private sector never could. Its destination is not the bottom line but the loftiest of goals: inspiration and the unrestrained intellectual pursuit of knowledge itself.