Will space actually be the final frontier of humankind?

Abstract

Science fiction gave us the idea of space as the final frontier. Strongly supported by the pioneers of spaceflight, this was first questioned in the 1970s. The Apollo landings on the Moon did not lead to a permanent human presence on our satellite, the environment of even the most Earth-like planet (Mars) turned out to be more hostile, and the technical difficulties and the cost of spaceflight were worse than expected. So humankind seemed for ever to be bound to its own planet. These rather pessimistic views are re-examined here, in the light of recent technological advances, scientific discoveries and new perspectives. It is suggested that they result from a lack of vision. Thus the ‘final frontier’ myth is found still to hold, but with a much more stretched out timetable for future space programmes that was envisaged in the 1960s. The present generation can take its first faltering steps on the path towards a spacefaring civilization, but the outcome will depend on social, political and economic issues rather than technological and scientific ones.