Four decades ago, President Kennedy set a goal for our nation of landing on the Moon within a decade. "This is in some measure an act of faith and vision, for we do not know what benefits await us But space is there and we are going to climb it" (qtd. in Zubrin 12). It is now the year 2002, we have not returned to the Moon for the past 30 years, and America's space program appears to be stagnate, having few major discoveries or milestones. The main goal of our space program should be to further explore and colonize the moon because humans are naturally curious, have a desire to expand their technology, wish to gain new resources that are available in space and create a base which serves as a stepping stone with which humans could explore deeper into space.
"The main motivation for a lunar colony, however, is purely the human instinct to move on and settle new land" (Javstrat 32). Humans are risk-takers, adventurers always seeking new challenges; a civilization fails once it feels it is self-sufficient and does not require anything beyond that which it already has. Generally there are two stressors that force a civilization to progress: war and frontier shock. Frontier shock is when humans are forced to a new, unknown land, requiring them to think beyond the norm (Zubrin 6). Humankind places itself under the stresses of frontier shock because it is naturally curious.
If you have ever thought about humans in space, the image of cities on other planets and spaceships traveling between them must have flashed through your mind. This is a powerful vision, and although it may be considered unrealistic, unnecessary or perhaps even heretical, most people will not help but find it intriguing. (Javstrat 32).
It was curiosity that took us to the moon the first time, and it is curiosity which will take us permanently beyond earth's gravity.
Curiosity is not the only factor that would force humans to move.
