It is encouraging that Artemus II has captivated the imagination of the world. For those of us on the leading edge of the Baby Boom it is reminiscent of the 1960s and ’70s during our first venture into space. Maybe more so for me since I was just beginning my career in radio and was intimately aware of how fascinated our listening audience was with each new development.
That first space race triggered tremendous advances in human development and quality of life for our planet. Many of our greatest achievements in science, medicine, technology, computers and related fields came as a direct result of our commitment to space exploration.
Second, it created a much greater awareness of the fragility of our planet and the harm we are inflicting on our environment. The Environmental Protection Agency and Earth Day both came into being at that time. Many other organizations and much-needed regulations originated to deal with pollution and climate change.
Unfortunately, in recent years science-deniers and climate-deniers have set those efforts back by decades. It is my hope that with this renewed interest in space exploration we will see a resurgent commitment to and confidence in science; and a greater awareness of and devotion to protecting and maintaining our environment.
Jack Crawford
Saugus
