The Future of Space Exploration: Challenges, Risks, and the Path Forward

When I was a young boy, my parents took my siblings and me to the Kennedy Space Center in 1968. During this inspirational trip, we took a bus tour of the center, including a short stop at the 40 story Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where the Saturn V rockets were being prepared for the moon missions. We were able to disembark the bus and while we were not permitted to enter the building, you could stand in awe of the rockets that would eventually take America to the moon. At 11 years old, I was excited that one day I might work at NASA!

During my formative years of education, I wanted to be a physician. Graduating high school with good grades, I attended The Ohio State University with a goal of medical school. While my grades did not permit consideration to medical school, I did earn my BS in Biological Sciences. Eventually working at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio and earning an MBA, I had the opportunity to join the life sciences effort at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1990. This early career move, placed me right in the center of my life long dreams – work at NASA and be involved in medicine.

For the past 35 years, I have had the distinct honor of working in the field of space medicine and remote healthcare – supported by telemedicine both at JSC and NASA Headquarters. As the actor JK Simmons says, “I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two”. Beginning in 1990, I was involved in all kinds of activities related to crew health, spacecraft environments, development of policy, and international programs. Over the course of the development and operation of the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle, my skills and competencies have grown exponentially. This includes holding various leadership positions, working with some of the brightest individuals across the world and writing textbooks and peer-reviewed journal articles with NASA personnel and academics.

This foundation of my experience with NASA and the intersection of science, engineering, medicine, and management align with SolaMed’s vision and mission. Today, there are many players in the field of space flight operations, including logistics and transporting people. Some of this is no longer the purview of neither NASA alone, nor national government efforts. There is a hunger for knowledge and an experience base to achieve that next level, which is exploration.

The virtual road to space is not necessarily for the faint of heart. The risks and challenges that NASA and others have championed must be clearly understood lest we make a mistake. Only a handful of humans have left the confines of the Earth and gone to the moon. Hundreds have lived in space for varying times, but those sojourns have been measured in months and less than 400 miles above the Earth. There are plans for human-tended missions to Mars and perhaps beyond. Nevertheless, the collective we must understand and appreciate the work that has been done and not be cavalier about the future.

It will take all of us to get there. Our backgrounds, history, knowledge, skills and perseverance to achieve what once was thought to be impossible is paramount on our journey forward. This is the great adventure of the next few decades.