We're going to Space and you're all invited

“How can we possibly justify sending people to Mars when there’s still so much work to be done here on Earth?"

As a keen advocate of space tourism and making the world a more equitable place, it's easy to feel conflicted on the topic of space exploration. On the one hand, becoming a space-faring civilisation is possibly the greatest elevation of the human experience to date. On the other, space travel uses enormous amounts of non-renewable energy and costs millions. Balancing disruptive innovation with long-term sustainability is no easy feat, but I hope that this article might help to frame the challenge differently. After all, we know the cost of venturing into outer space, but how many of us talk about the cost of not going? How many of us discuss the cost of inaction? The price of progress. I like to think that whilst it is our job to preserve the future of the Earth, it is also our job to build a future that is inspiring. So, here's a few reasons why we're going to space and you're all invited.

'We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard'.

– John F. Kennedy

Because it's hard

When Barack Obama was warmly welcomed around the world as the first African American president of the United States, it was never really about politics. Rather his inauguration instilled a sense of hope in people of colour all around the world that they too could succeed and reach the upper echelons of their own personal lives and careers. By defying the odds, his presidency became a symbol of what happens when we refuse to give up on our dreams for the future that we want to have. Humans were built to walk uphill. The curious exploration of the cosmos will go ahead whether we join in it or not, and it truly is one of the most challenging adventures of all time. Even if we don't win, we set extraordinary precedence for our species simply by trying.

Space is for everybody. It's not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That's our new frontier out there, and its everybody's business to know about space

Christa McAuliffe

Because it unites

Every Earth inhabitant must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable. While the Obama effect cannot be compared on the same level as space tourism, the two have the potential to bring people together around a shared goal. On the 21 July 1969, people from all different walks of life were able to come together and celebrate the first moon landing because on an intrinsic level it meant something for mankind. Mankind meant something. These community-rich ventures that bring people together regardless of colour, creed, status and culture are essential for humanity's unified progress. Whilst we undoubtably have a long way to go before space tourism services might be affordable and accessible to all, I'm a designer therefore I'm an optimist. The beauty of creating things today is that feedback is iteratively embedded into the process. By design, things do get better.

'Don't fear failure. — Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.'

Bruce Lee

Because it inspires

Whilst becoming a space-faring civilisation may not belong at the top of every government's agenda, it's not a waste of the world's time, energy or resources either. We live in a world built upon numbers and this makes us lose our sense of infinity. Only finite things can be measured after all. How might one ever quantify the value of inspiration? Or encouraging others to think differently. It’s about surviving yes, but it’s also about thriving. If the only result of our impetuous explorations is that we might inspire the next generation of curious question-askers and creative dot-connectors to think far beyond conventional boundaries, I say it's worth every penny to aim for Mars. At least if we fall, we'll still be among the stars.

See you up there,

Simbi x

(Hopeful designer of multi-planetarian experiences)