AI ATTRIBUTION & DISCLOSURE: Text written by author (Aaron Force) except where noted and except for pulled quotations, curated by author. Images generated by Midjourney by author’s prompts.
"NASA engineer Kenneth Cox suggested a Third Millennium intention, 'To create a permanent living presence throughout the solar system and seek value and meaning for humankind in Earth/Space. To establish human settlements in Earth orbit, on planetary surfaces, and in other appropriate orbital space. To live, work, and prosper in multiple space communities in the solar system, and develop a virtual presence beyond our ‘local Earth-Moon-Sun universe.’" — Barbara Marx Hubbard, Conscious Evolution: Awakening the Power of Our Social Potential
In the technological realm, while we’ve recently been placed in a state of wonder and awe by the advances of AI, we must remember that behind the scenes, work is progressing just as strongly in the push to expand humanity’s presence in space. And while AI can help us leverage our evolutionary capability right here, claiming a strong presence in space will truly allow us to advance toward our evolutionary potential. It’s my belief that it’s one of our strongest imperatives as a species.
Current and Planned Space Projects
Already, we are initiating many projects which will help us achieve this purpose. NASA is well along with plans for the Artemis mission which seeks to very soon support lunar exploration including the establishment of moon bases alongside SpaceX, Blue Origin, and others. The Lunar Gateway project is an international effort to place a space station in lunar orbit in order to assist with development down on the moon’s surface.
Other space stations for Earth’s own orbit are also currently being planned. These include the Axiom Station (a replacement to the ISS), the Orbital Reef (intended for commercial and scientific endeavors as well as tourism), and Starlab. Very soon we will have more people in space than we ever have before, a species among the stars.
In regards to Martian efforts, Perseverance Rover is already on-site, scouting terrain with higher resolution than we’ve previously ever had, supported by its flying drone, Ingenuity. Rocket technology is being advanced daily and is at an all-time high in terms of development and operation. Teams of scientists and engineers are addressing the difficult problems of migration, surface landing, colonization, and every possible need that goes along with supporting human life on Mars. And beyond this, the strategies for the immense efforts of terraforming the planet continue to be explored.
"The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever." - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
We have several probes exploring our solar system and beyond including Voyager 1 and 2 and New Horizons (both Pioneer 10 and 11 are still speeding away but we have lost contact with them years ago). And the James Webb telescope is helping us to peer into the depths of space with amazing clarity, a portal transporting us through the vastness of space and billions of years into our past.
These represent some of the initial focuses of humanity at this time regarding expansion into space. Obviously, we already are a cosmic species. Although our presence is limited, however, the charge is full ahead to expand our reach more fully and in greater measure. It is only a matter of time before we begin truly colonizing our solar system and, one day, into the galaxy and beyond.
Not All Are Excited
As a futures-oriented individual, I find such prospects awe-inspiring and I applaud every effort. Many others do as well and yet, there seems to be a never-ending drone of naysayers who argue quite emphatically that our focus is all wrong. Why are we so urgently seeking to colonize space when we have our Earth home right here, in desperate need of attention?
Well, why are we?
Without question, there is so much at stake here and our resources of time, labor, and money could be applied to saving our planet before it’s too late. For many, our focus on Mars seems to be a cop-out, a way to shuffle our shameful past under the rug and start with a clean slate or a place for global elites to shuttle off to when the heat turns up too high here.
But no one is saying we abandon our home. It’s a both/and proposition.
"The dream of exploring space has always been a reflection of the dream of an expanding human consciousness." - Edgar Mitchell
The idea is that we work to repair our Earth and place a strong focus, with concerted effort, to set things on the right path and make things better here. My own appeal and fervent conviction is that humanity must be defined by new levels of order and harmony if we are to become an ascended species. This means our own house must be set in order and our family made functional.
But my appeal is that we also continue our expansion beyond our home planet. To focus only on Earth when we have at this time the developing technologies, vision, and motivations to explore and colonize our solar system, is shortsighted. Even if one could have the perfect family, they must still engage the greater context of the here-and-now beyond their home—they must break out and thrive within a larger life experience. They must also exhibit wisdom in planning for their future and various additional opportunities and contingencies along the way.
I believe there are many logical reasons for expanding our presence in space. Even more than this (hopefully) compelling list, however, will be the final assessment, the ultimate reason for our permanent expansion into space. Such is the true reason, in my estimation, why we must lift our eyes to the sky and pierce its veil.
Reasons To Become A Cosmic Species
Reason #1: “Because We Can” —Thomas Shelby, Peaky Blinders
Is it enough of a reason that we do it simply because we can? It is near as though gods have laid the tools of space travel at our feet. Should they really have done so, would we simply let them lie on the ground before us and continue tending to our daily business? Would we snub our noses at such a remarkable gift or deny that perhaps they were granted because it was known we were going to need them very quickly for reasons only they knew? Or would we pick them up and utilize them as is the apparent intention?
"We have the capacity to reach for the stars and explore the universe, and it is our duty to pursue that dream." - Buzz Aldrin
At this very time, technology is reaching a critical threshold where all the pieces are becoming a reality. Rockets, space stations, colonization strategies, communication, and even transhumanism (allowing humans to be more readily suited to extreme space conditions such as low to zero oxygen (and gravity), radiation, temperature extremes, and improved longevity for deep space missions among others), are all coming into their own, all at once.
Why would we not pluck the ripe fruit in front of us and eat of it? It is the apple that has not been forbidden.
Reason #2: We Are Stretched By The Challenges
The Space Race of the last century allowed humanity to do the previously impossible in an incredibly short amount of time. The governments of the USSR and the USA each pulled all their resources together to achieve what to that point was barely conceivable by science fiction in the decades prior. And, though the effort was extremely competitive in nature, it was to the benefit of all humanity.
"When we push ourselves to discover new things, when we question what we know and why we know it, when we ask what else is out there, we are constantly learning and growing." - Sally Ride
In the same way, all of humanity could again be unified by the inspiring possibilities and in overcoming the immense challenges of creating orbital cities around Earth, colonies on Mars, or launching deeper space vessels to new galactic ports. Already, many of our proposals are international and combine efforts from governments, private corporations, and universities. Humanity needs such an inspiring vision to both stretch and unite us.
Humanity must never be allowed to become complacent in its passion for discovery and exploration and the prospects of space are demanding but not impossible. They are just big enough problems to require participation from many sources and angles and the spirits of all are lifted in their success.
“For us to have a future that's exciting and inspiring, it has to be one where we're a space-bearing civilization.”
Reason #3: We Discover New Secrets About Our Universe
Already, science has benefitted from scientific explorations in the International Space Station. Zero gravity allows for laboratory conditions that are difficult to achieve on Earth. Experiments with protein crystals have advanced understandings of new drug treatments and weightlessness has provided unique insights into human physiology. As well, we are able in space to discover new cosmic particles and oversee our climate from a new perspective among many other benefits.
"Space exploration has advanced our understanding of the universe and our place in it, and has inspired generations of scientists and explorers to continue pushing the boundaries of what we know and what we can do." - Kathryn D. Sullivan
Although we have already sent probes to Mars, without actually living there and examining in detail the soils and drilling or doing other detailed analyses, we will never learn as much as we can about the planet. The same goes for space exploration in general. The more unique conditions and environments we can explore, the more we can learn about our own planet and ourselves.
It would seem ridiculous if humanity decided it would never explore Earth’s subterranean systems or send scientists deep under the ocean or to the polar caps. Imagine how much less we would know about life and its interconnected nature. Space represents an extended environment that our planet is but one small part of. We cannot expect that the bounds of our atmosphere represent all there is worth discovering or that no influences beyond affect us here.
By establishing a greater presence on the moon, Mars, and in space beyond, we will be able to understand our universe better and, in turn, help us better steward our Earth and inform our evolution as a species right here.
Reason #4: We Lessen The Demand On Earth’s Resources and Impacts Upon The Biosphere
Humanity is at this time nearly entirely unsustainable as a species. If we continue our present track, our demands upon our environment will soon surpass any ability of it to support us. Presently, there does not seem to be any immediate change to this tendency (except for the Shift itself, which I would suggest the benefits of space colonization supports and will work in conjunction with).
"We must continue to go into space for the future of humanity. I don't think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet." - Stephen Hawking
By offloading ourselves from the planet we can begin to diminish our impacts here in order to better enter into a process of mitigation and restoration. It is difficult to patch or plug the failing walls of a dam when all the pressure and spray of water are in full effect, after all.
Of all the reasons listed here, this one is admittedly the one with the longest timeline. To have fully functioning colonies and space stations in scope large enough to accommodate such large enough amounts of people to ease our population here will take decades if not centuries. Still, there is a case for the argument and if it can help our Earth efforts here, we should certainly be prepared to pursue it.
Reason #5: We Diversify Our Presence To Lower The Risk of Extinction
This reason is one of the most fundamental for establishing a stronger presence in space. There is any number of possible means by which our species may be destroyed. Perhaps most profoundly, the impact of a large asteroid could eliminate us or leave us decimated for centuries. By having extraterrestrial colonies in various locations we can ensure that a single event will not cause our species’ extinction.
"We need to be exploring space because it's not just about us, it's about our species surviving." - Neil deGrasse Tyson
We may be able as well, to more easily detect and deter any incoming threats such as asteroids or other space debris. Can we really imagine and accept that we could lose everything on the Earth we are trying to save because many believe colonizing space represents a misfocus of our attention?
The Ultimate Reason: To More Fully Realize Our Evolutionary Potential
While there are plenty of important reasons why we should further our reach into space, there is one that represents our imperative. For ours is an evolutionary universe and as such, its advancement must continue toward the attainment of its highest potential. Humanity presently represents the agent of evolution (by way of the higher complexity and advancement of our consciousness, that evolution has itself introduced), and as such our highest calling is to embrace and support this evolutionary drive in all the manners available to us.
As the stewards of (conscious) evolution, it is our privilege and purpose to further our reach and continuity and incrementally rise above limitation in whatever format that may represent. This must of course not be done haphazardly or hastily but our advance must be qualified by harmony, the attainment of higher states of order, and represent and fulfill the evolutionary intention of the universe. There should be clear precedent that all has been slowly leading to whatever program is proposed.
Space colonization represents a natural extension of our progress. Technology began for us as little more than sticks and stones. But humanity has continued to advance through our continually expanding and evolving technological reach. At one time, our highest technology allowed us to sail from one continent to another—now it is preparing to sail us from one planet to another. Is it possible to imagine preventing its further advance?
Though the human is now the agent of evolution, technology is its primary means. It is nearly synonymous with expansion and evolution in our age.
Expansion and evolution are two inherent qualities that cannot be suppressed. Just as when water freezes, it can burst its container, so too all things in our universe—including us and our unique evolutionary expression—are pushing out and corkscrewing up into higher orders. This motive force cannot be stopped.
And in support of this, by the application of evolutionary pressure, things must transmute into expressions with altogether different properties—generally lighter, more mobile, more ephemeral—allowing things, like liquid water, to come to a boil and transform to steam that it may surpass its former confines altogether.
Technology has been slowly building in its reach and effectiveness for millennia. The story of the human is in large part the story of its technological advance (and its use or misuse). Although such a high function as space travel has been beyond reach for most of our history, it is now beginning to coalesce into that which can finally be feasible. All the parts have been fashioned just enough that our survival as a spacefaring species is viable.
We are being born to our next phase.
Could anyone imagine the baby mid-birth, pressing its hands to slow or cease its emergence out of the birth canal? Could a baby stay forever in its mother’s womb and thrive or even survive?
If one closes their eyes but for a moment and feels the impulses all around us, they will know with no uncertainty that we are being beckoned from Earth’s cradle like a mother Robin ready to push her hesitant chicks out of the nest.
For our own atmosphere and its liminal barrier between the Earth in all its vitality and the lifeless space beyond (so far as we truly know in this moment), is but the amniotic sac, granting us our time of warmth and nutrients that we may reach viability before being born into the world beyond. It is the time of our cosmic birth; perhaps this is why we are presently bombarded with the painful pangs of a world in chaos. The waves of suffering and uncertainty are but contractions pushing us to our next stage of existence.
Evolution has chosen us as its now primary channel and what represents our greatest evolutionary advance (other than curing death) but our expansion into space? It is the clear choice, this veil draped over us and teasing us for millennia; enchanting our minds and seducing our souls for so long. What prevents us from following its enticing call?
What would happen if we did not? Just as we may consciously evolve it is also possible we consciously (or unconsciously) plateau. We could decide to go no further. But we would be stuck short of our peak, clinging to the side of the mountain which is at once perilous as well as a difficult position to set up camp. It’s the same metaphor of a sailing vessel kept at bay; without embarking upon the open waters it degrades to the point of inoperability. Whatever safety was sought slowly erodes right there at dock.
In our complacency—and perhaps lack of courage—we atrophy and rust and rot. As a matter of vitality and function, we must continue to grow and stretch and become more. Do you really believe the sluggard on the sofa is a picture of health and well-being? Humanity must not sit still for long—at least not until it has achieved an ascended state (In such an expansive condition, the evolutionary force will no longer find resistance and achieve a means forward).
In reality, if we do not align and support the continued evolutionary program of the universe, we will be crushed by its progress. We cannot resist its advance. All of its evolutionary force is focused squarely upon the human and its ages-old glacial drive will never be slowed or stalled. It will continue to press upon and through us no matter how much resistance we offer.
This primary channel of force is technology, now advancing at breakneck speed. Development builds upon development, faster and more forcefully. It cannot be confined except in resulting in our own complete destruction. It must be let loose, whether by the “letting off of steam” or rocket plumes such that its inherent tension be released.
We have several reasons to lift off for the expanse of space and new challenges. But the most compelling reason is simply that we must. We must continue to proceed with purpose and fortitude toward higher expression on our way to some unimaginable potential. We may not yet know its form but the only way we can is to set off on this remarkable journey that awaits us.
It is our imperative.
I like to read random articles on Substack, this was an interesting read. Reminds me of one of my favourite quotes, "We don't travel to see different things, we travel to see things differently." - Ben Davenport.
Yep. I say quintuple NASA's budget up to $100 billion a year, terraform Mars, and let the first million people migrate there by the end of this century.