04/24/2020
The Coronavirus Pandemic should be a wake-up call to governments everywhere. We need to be better prepared for the next pandemic (when, not if). Stockpiling Personal Protective Equipment and ventilators, building excess capacity into the healthcare system, better prior planning, and more surveillance to contain outbreaks are essential.
It may just be coincidence that the epicenter of this outbreak was Wuhan, China and that the Wuhan Institute of Virology is a center of coronavirus research. That argument will go on for years. If that lab is not the source of the current Covid-19 virus pandemic, it clearly shows us that this kind of biological research will, sooner or later, result in the release, accidental or otherwise, of a similar global threat. The cost of Covid-19 has been major societal disruptions, trillions of dollars in lost economic activity, loss of personal freedoms, and most terribly, the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. And we have not even begun to understand the long-term consequences of Covi-19 exposure. Keep in mind that this has been the result of a pathogen with a mortality rate significantly less than SARS or MERS or Ebola.
So, what is my point, other than to restate the obvious? I am a space geek and I am continuously dealing with the question of “Why Space”. All the altruistic comments about “exploration is part of the human psyche”, and talk about advancements in science, and comments about enabling STEM, are all true, but they are not, in reality, justification for the billions dedicated to exploration of the solar system that could be used to improve the human condition.
Here is one, though. The Moon is one of the most valuable resources available to Humankind. Not because of its mineral resources. But because of its physical separation from Earth. It is 3 ½ days away from Earth in a lifeless vacuum constantly subject to radiation and temperature extremes. It is a natural isolation chamber that is unparalleled anywhere on Earth.
If, all the nations of the Earth agreed that we can never again afford the costs in money and lives of a potential outbreak caused by a accidental release of a deadly pathogen from a research lab, we could easily pay for the costs of establishing biological research facilities on the Moon which would almost guarantee that no lab accident or mishap could ever cause such a global disaster. There literally is nowhere on the face of the Earth that we can make that kind of guarantee. Biological research (gene manipulation and virology for example) is essential to improving the quality of life on Earth and identifying defenses against such pathogens as C-19 but it is also, potentially, extremely dangerous.
An accidental release of a pathogen could be isolated to individual facilities on the Moon. We could guarantee quarantine of employees that might be exposed to a pathogen by controlling transportation back to Earth. And such facilities would require infrastructure that could spark off-world economic investments and activity.
Let’s stop being altruistic about justifying space investments. Let’s stop gambling with human lives. Let’s start being practical about utilizing the resources in our solar system for the obvious benefit of all mankind, at least about trying to prevent global catastrophes.
