“When did we last leave lower Earth orbit to go somewhere interesting with humans?” famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson asks at the beginning of the video. The last time NASA invested in sending humans to somewhat uncharted territory was during the Apollo 17 mission to the moon in 1972.
A new documentary titled Fight for Space examines the future of our space program while asking important questions like why we haven’t been back to the moon, why we’re so focused on orbiting the Earth and why haven’t we been to Mars yet? The film features interviews from “astronauts, politicians, educators, historians, scientists, former NASA officials, commercial space entrepreneurs, and many other experts in the space community” while making a strong case for why we need the NASA program.
Just over a week ago, Donald Trump proposed steep budget cuts including a reduction in NASA’s funds by 30 percent. Missions like one that would send a lander to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa might be canceled, as would its Earth science program that includes CLARREO Pathfinder—a proposed spacecraft that would have provided extremely accurate climate results. On the flip side, he most recently signed a bill authorizing $19.5 billion to help fund a manned mission to Mars by (hopefully) the 2030s.
Still, NASA’s future remains uncertain which is why documentaries like this are very important. It’s a great reminder of the impact the space program has had on the country, such as inspiring the next generation of scientists and boldly going where no one had gone before. The film, which was successfully funded through Kickstarter, is headed to select theaters on May 19.
(via Coming Soon, image via screencap)
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