Last week there were some exciting announcements from NASA about human exploration of the Moon. If all goes well the US may return an astronaut to the Moon’s surface sometime in 2027. That’s well in advance of China’s intention of putting people on the Moon in 2030. As in the 1960s, human space exploration seems to go hand in hand with superpower rivalry. But if NASA’s timeline slips, as some suggest it will, then China may get to the Moon first. There is a lot of discussion about this being a major geopolitical turning point. But is it really? What if China does get there first? It doesn’t alter history. It doesn’t take away from the awesome achievement of Apollo. It will be a major milestone for China and something to be celebrated. So what if the US astronauts arrived a few months later. They have done it all before. Perhaps it’s time to be more grown up about space. Nations do not have a monopoly on human achievement. Chinese and American astronauts are equally brave individuals. Their exploits should inspire us. So good luck to both nations. Space should bring out the best in all of us, not the worst. The blue marble photo changed humanity’s view of itself forever. Space can do that, if we let it.

Image: (Front page) Neil Armstrong – The first man on the Moon (image: NASA)

Image: (Top) John Young works at the LRV near the LM Orion on Apollo 16 in April 1972 (Image NASA, Caption Wikipedia)

Image: (Bottom)The Blue Marble, taken by Harrison Schmitt of the Apollo 17 crew in 1972. The original photograph was taken with the South Pole facing the top; however, this version is the most widely distributed. (image: NASA, Caption Wikipedia)