England Slowly Consideres Humans In Space

Ever since the UK entered the space race, England has been rather slow about sending humans into the cosmos. Despite the potential of colonizing other worlds (i.e. resources, international focus on exploring instead of war, etc.) Britain seems to have “delegate” this process to their American and Russian friends.

But all of that might change thanks to their brave new science minister who goes by the name of Malcolm Wicks.

(Times Online) “I think we need to think that through,” he said. “I think sometimes our understandable reluctance to fund British men and women going into space has come across wrongly as us being a bit cool about space. I think we should be hot and enthusiastic.

“It’s going to be this millennium’s great adventure. I’m not changing our position on this now, but I think it would be foolish to be dogmatic about these things.”

Successive governments have decided that the benefits of human spaceflight are not worth the heavy financial costs or risk to life.

Although England has had several astronauts fly into outer space, most of them have had to become American citizens in order to participate (with one flying under the EU flag).

If England does not seriously consider taking matter into their own hands by either partnering up with the US or EU or building their own space ports, they will have nothing to complain about when the US, Russia, India, China, Japan, South Korea, etc. begin importing minerals, Helium-3 and rare metals for their benefit (not to mention expanding their DNA off world).

It would be good to see the United Kingdom partner with NASA and land an astronaut on the moon. After all, if Canada sees the benefit of doing so, then why not our UK brethren?

Update (7/18): Added source link (which was foolishly left out).

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