The Landmark Space-Age Thucydides: Human Spaceflight in the State Grand Strategic Quest to Address Fears, Advance Interests, and Garner Honor - Paperback

by Randel Gordon (Author)

Laymen and space enthusiasts alike continuously ask, "Why send people to space?" The popular philosophic answer to this question is, "Because the human race is inspired by other humans exploring the unknown." While this may be true, by itself it rings cavernously hollow in the face of tough budgetary and political realities. From a state perspective, something of greater beneficial substance must be at play in order to justify the high costs and risks associated with human spaceflight. Extensive studies exist to demonstrate the strategic significance of uninhabited spaceflight technologies, such as the Global Positioning System, or communications and surveillance satellites. However, a dearth of equivalent research exists for human spaceflight. As a result, society too often caricatures human spaceflight as an expensive state luxury with little public importance. In reality, the saga of space history is testament to human spaceflight's use by states as a powerful grand strategic tool of hi-tech statecraft.