Nasa's Artemis II moonshot bodes well for global community

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The success of the Artemis II project, with astronauts making a reconnaissance visit to the far end of the moon, should be celebrated by all humanity, even those who dislike science and technology.  

The dividends will benefit all humanity. Artemis III will follow, and many others. We shall next re-land on the moon and, hopefully, beyond.

The US is following a familiar project numbering. Remember Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo? The latter got to 17.  Forget the movie Apollo 18. Why do space missions love Greek goddesses? 

The number of WhatsApp groups that shared the splashdown report shows the interest it generated. 

A welcome diversion from our tense politics, a rehearsal for the 2027 polls. But the excitement can’t be compared with landing on the moon in 1969.  

We get bored returning to a place. Human beings love excitement, adventure, and novelty. That is why life can become boring as we become more economically successful. Where do you go after visiting all the places and indulging in all the fun? What’s next after reaching Maslow’s apex? That is why entertainers and entrepreneurs never run out of work. They are seeking for us the next experience, a product, or a service. It could be the next iPhone or hairstyle. And we pay for it.  

Even more interesting is for the astronauts. What is next for their lives after reaching the moon?

It’s not so surprising that Charles Duke, one of the astronauts whom I met as an undergraduate student, was in Kenya preaching. Do you recall a recent wave when lots of well-to-do Kenyans were taking theology courses? 

Back to space. The astronauts are a source of pride for their families, communities, and countries. Do we celebrate our successes as families beyond graduations and weddings? Imagine how the families of the four astronauts felt for the 10 days, watching someone you know floating in weightlessness. 

Their communities celebrated. Beyond political rallies, do we celebrate our own? Just visit random villages like Navakholo, Tseikuru, Kaniki (Carnegie), or Dundori, and ask the youngsters who their heroes are beyond politicians, musicians, the English Premier League (EPL) footballers, and movie stars. 

How many counties have halls of fame? How many counties celebrate the World War II veterans? Think of someone who fought against Hitler. 

The astronauts’ countries celebrated them; no wonder the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the US President Donald Trump talked to them.

Their closest in Kenya are athletes who compete in international events and visit the State House. That is how the national mood is uplifted, and patriotism is built through success, not fear.  

Like the engine of a locomotive, these national achievements and pride raise the national bar and pull the whole economy along. The only other event that rivals space travel is war. And the US engaged in both simultaneously. And be sure someone will make political capital out of that. What of humanity? We should all celebrate the successful return. Our possibility frontier has been extended.

The key beneficiaries are the children; they have something to aspire to, being astronauts, not influencers. Do young boys still dream of being pilots?  

Other careers will benefit from the moon trip. Medical doctors want to know how our bodies react to weightlessness. Does our behaviour change? Engineers worry about communicating through space and radiation? What of propulsion? What material can withstand a temperature of 2500 degrees? Water boils at 100 degrees and can burn you.

Every area of science and technology will benefit. Let’s remember we have moved from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to STEAM. The “A” is for arts. The gap between science and the humanities or arts is blurring. Arts take over where science stops. Think of the many items you buy, including clothes and phones. The key choice is outward appearance (and emotions evoked) rather than the technology in them. Ever opened your phone to find out what’s inside? 

Have you noted the popularity of cladding houses? Who talks about the metal bars in concrete? Are photos from outer space not art? 

Let’s not forget diversity in the team that visited the vicinity of the moon. Two nationalities, a man of colour and a lady. A clear indicator that our race or colour should not limit our human achievements. 

When are Kenyans travelling to space? Think of Onyango, Kamau, Wandoe, or Zamzam going to space. 

One could ask about our equivalence to the trip around the moon and back. The questioning is not demeaning; it’s a reality check. What is the source of our national pride? We started with winning our independence, or uhuru. 

That was Jomo Kenyatta’s key theme. That has now been muted. Do I need to explain why? The Moi regime followed suit; remember the Fuata Nyayo philosophy? We can debate what the footsteps were. What were his key national achievements? Memorable is building schools and changing from the “A-level” to the 8-4-4 system of education.  

Kibaki was more “hard” with roads, power, and the Thika Superhighway, which is now clogged and needs an upgrade. His soft legacy is the 2010 Constitution.  Uhuru Kenyatta, like Moi, followed in the footsteps of Kibaki with infrastructure, such as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the Nairobi Expressway.

He went soft with the shift to the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system. The current regime is crystallising its achievements (avoiding the word ‘legacy’). It was definitely soft with CBE and the Social Health Authority (SHA) for health. The “hard” part is work in progress with several roads and the SGR extension to the Uganda border. 

Have these projects raised the national pride and patriotism? Have they made us more motivated to achieve higher national goals? Maybe listening to speeches in the public rallies and Kenyans in the privacy of their homes can give answers.  But one thing is certain: our national goals and projects are too earthly; it’s time we joined the space-going nations.

I have no doubt space is the next frontier. Watching other nations visit space, just like watching the EPL, should not be our national character. We should get our own Artemis. Suggest a local name. Did we have goddesses? 

Watching the Earth rise from the moon’s vicinity, its barrenness makes the Earth more homely. That will not kill my dream of visiting the moon for a holiday in my lifetime. Will you join me? We can negotiate the funding.