Ed Hudgins Speaks on Space and More

On January 14, President George W. Bush unveiled his plan to initiate a program of manned flights to the Moon and Mars. But even before the official announcement was made, TOC's Washington director, Ed Hudgins, was using the event to stake out a truly Enlightenment position on the issue: pro-science, pro-technology, pro-exploration, and pro-freedom.

Speaking on Fox News and CNN, addressing audiences at NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Georgetown University Law Center, and publishing an op-ed in the Orange County Register, Hudgins extolled the heroic and inspiring vision of space exploration (as opposed to the Left's vision of self-sacrifice and "help the needy"). But he also insisted that the vision would be even more inspiring and more successful if it were pursued with a very large element of private entrepreneurship.

In his op-ed, Hudgins wrote: "The lunar landings of over three decades ago were among the greatest human achievements. Ayn Rand wrote that Apollo 11 'was like a dramatist's emphasis on the dimension of reason's power.' We were inspired at the sight of humans at our best, traveling to another world. In announcing NASA's new mission, President Bush echoed such sentiments, speaking of the American values of 'daring, discipline, ingenuity,' and 'the spirit of discovery.'"

"But," Hudgins pointed out, "after the triumphs of Apollo, NASA failed to make space more accessible to mankind. There were supposed to be shuttle flights every week; instead, there have been about four per year. The space station was projected to cost $8 billion, house a crew of twelve, and be in orbit by the mid-1990s. Instead, its price tag will be $100 billion and it will have only a crew of three. Worse, neither the station nor the shuttle does much important science."

"To avoid the errors of the shuttle and space station," Hudgins argued, "NASA's mission must be very narrowly focused on exploring the Moon and planets, and perhaps conducting some basic research, which also might serve a defense function. This will mean leaving low-Earth orbit to the private sector." After elucidating a number of ways such privatization could be carried out, he concluded: "If we're true to our nature, we will explore and settle space. But only individuals with vision, acting in a free market, will make us a truly space-faring civilization."

Those wishing to read the full op-ed, "Return to the Moon? Not with This NASA," will find it on The Objectivist Center's Web site. Other of Hudgins's recent op-eds will also be found at TOC's Media Center. They include: "Can Sex Liberate Red China?" "The Human Spirit of Christmas," "Finding the Barbarian" (a review of the film The Barbarian Invasions), and "The Example of Our First President."