3.5.1 Individual Level
3.5.2 International Level

The activities of technology planning, legal and policy analysis, and establishing coordination and management procedures form a basis which will help make our strategy a reality in the current global climate. However, any practical planning cannot be effective unless the public supports our strategy and related space activities. In this section we elaborate further on the issue of public interest introduced in section 1.2.

On July 20th, 1969 the human race witnessed an incredible event: for the first time man walked on the Moon. The mysterious object that fills our nighttime sky with beauty was touched by humans. People around the world were amazed by this incredible achievement, the astronauts were worldwide heroes, and their names will be forever in our memories. Thirty years later, we live in a world where enthusiasm for space is at an all time low, space has lost its appeal and inspiration. Since Apollo, the US government has continuously made budget cuts and Europe, Japan, and other nations have worked with relatively small government funds allocated to space. Why is it that we live in a world lacking passion for space exploration? Why can we not generate the Apollo enthusiasm which was so contagious in the 60's? Why do governments keep cutting space budgets? The questions are plentiful, yet the answers are few. This chapter provides suggestions as to why there is a lack of public and government support for space exploration. It provides recommendations on how to change opinions on individual, national and global levels, and explains how the proposed strategy is designed to generate support at each level.

Why Is There a Lack of Public and Government Support for Space Exploration?

"Space exploration is extremely expensive and the benefits to Earth unclear. Hospitals desperately need more money for patient care and research into cures for diseases such as cancer. Money from the space program, if used for health care, could directly help to save lives and alleviate pain on Earth. I do not understand the point of space exploration and do not hear much about current activities. Some television programs describe the universe and talk about space probes, but the high level technical language used and the concepts described tend to confuse me, so I pay little interest."

Housewife, UK, 1999

The above quote is a typical response to the question "What do you think about space exploration?"

There appears to be a lack of information reaching the average person on the street regarding space exploration and the benefits it can bring. Without a clear explanation of space activities and the direct benefits to people on Earth, it is no surprise that the public derives conclusions like those above. The general public is highly influenced by the media. Television, for many people is the main source of information regarding activities around the world. Only very few shuttle launches and robotic probes make it into the headlines; successful missions tend not to make prime time viewing. A failed mission or explosion, however, receives more prime time exposure than all successful missions added together over the past decade. Accidents and failures interest people, and the cost of the failed mission is always emphasized. Given the information that eventually filters through to the general public, it is inevitable that the words "a pointless waste of money" spring to mind when discussing space exploration.

Public opinion to some extent governs government policies. Government representatives are elected by the general public. If public opinion is anti-space, then government representatives reflect this view in order to maintain public support. Successfully changing public opinion will have a profound effect on decisions made at a government level. An interesting point is that the driving force of the Apollo program was not public pressure but political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Today, the political situation is very different. Russia and the United States cooperate and work together on programs like the International Space Station. It is unlikely that political rivalry will again play a major part in convincing governments to increase spending on space for peaceful exploration purposes, although this may change in light of China's space activities.

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