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| Frank Bencomo Class of 2018 |
A few days ago one of the most incredible things happened. The United States of America took a step towards returning to having its own manned spaceflight program. NASA successfully launched the first prototype of an Orion capsule and returned it to Earth without a hitch. The Orion spacecraft is not only America’s replacement for the Space Shuttle, it is something much grander. The Orion is our first spacecraft to be built in 40 years with the intention of exploring new worlds.
We often forget in the modern era to look outwards. In an age where we spend our lives with our necks craned down at our screens, we overlook the stars above. We allow ourselves to become pessimistic from watching the news and as we grow older we often forget to feed the wonder inside of us all. It’s time we made a change. It’s time we remember we the traits of humanity which took us from the plains of Africa and brought us to becoming a species capable of seeing the edges of the universe. For thousands of years we spread ourselves across the face of the Earth and grew complacent. People often state that with all the troubles of the Earth why waste money on meandering around the stars. They criticize the high cost of having a manned spaceflight program. To that I say because it is our nature to commit to such grand adventures. We are explorers, from the first human to glance at the stars and wonder about their existence to us today lies a long linage of bold people who by pushing the envelope, pushed the very horizon back until it was no longer on the Earth but in the heavens themselves. We more than any generation before us have the tools to push that horizon back further than ever before in human history, let us remember that with those tools comes a great responsibility to use them so we pass to further generations a greater understanding of the world around us than that we received.
By no means do I say that such an endeavor will be easy, just how it’s taken countless brave people working in conjunction to raise us to where we are today, no single nation can form the ladder to the heavens on their own, we must all work together in the pursuit of knowledge and advancement for all mankind. There are those who choose to say that cooperation on that scale isn’t possible but to them I say it isn’t only possible it is necessary. The problems of tomorrow wait for no one, but if we stand together than we can face anything that comes our way and if we allow ourselves to be united by the many bonds we have instead of the few divisions, then we can unlock the keys to the heavens. Think of all we can resolve through these mission if we join hands.
Think of all we can learn. Our greatest moments will come as we venture far beyond our own planet and realize the precious gift we have been given. As we go further and further away from the comforting shore of our own planet and deeper to the oceans of deep space, we will truly comet terms with how petty our squabbles have been and how insignificant they are when viewed through the lens of the universe entire. Out there we have so much ground to cover. Out there we we will discover ourselves, so don't tear down the space program for its costs are, instead tune in, for I promise you that what we will gain is far more than what we will give. Just as the renown astronomer Carl Sagan told us, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
Frank Bencomo is a freshman McConnell Scholar studying political science and physics. He is from Louisville, Ky.