Trump wants to sell out the International Space Station!
The Trump administration wants to turn the International Space Station (ISS) into a private enterprise, it seems that his promise to “Make America great again” was referring to the America of the 1940 that did not have a space program. Even private businessmen like Andrew Rush, who runs “Made in Space”, oppose the proposal, he said: “The ISS is built for science and human exploration, it’s not built for profit seeking”. The ISS is run by
17 countries and is a small symbol of what humankind can become, which is a unified, peaceful and space-exploring species. No wonder that such a symbol, which happens to be a bit expensive (maybe something between $100-150 billion since 1995) is thorn in the side of the Trump White House. While the ISS is expensive it costs nothing in comparison with the US military budget which will be $639 billion for only 2018! Not to speak about Trumps absurd proposal to build a wall on the border to Mexico, which will cost maybe close to $20 billion which is enough to run the ISS for several years. And if we are honest, it is okay to spend a lot if it is for cool stuff that doesn’t hurt anyone, especially if you compare it to the last crash in Wall Street!
It seems unlikely that the Trump administration will really sell off a part of the ISS, but it shines a light on an important issue. Who decides what happens with our space exploration and scientific research? Space is over all
our heads and a bit bigger than petty human disputes and fights; its infinity and magnificence should urge us to act in an appropriate way. We need to make sure that the people of Earth control space exploration and not profit interests! Humankind needs to develop a space program that goes beyond NASA, ESA, ROSCOSMOS and CNSA. Such a World Space Program, that brings the best scientists and explores from all around the world together to work in courageous and peaceful way to explore and colonize our Solar System. A mission to Mars, not as different countries with their little egoistic bureaucracies but as united human could be the first important step to create our future!
