The History, Politics, and Impact of the Space Program
We venture into space for a variety of reasons. One is to fulfill an elemental need that defines us as humans—curiosity and the need to explore. There are also strong political, economic, and military motives. With numerous highly-competitive international players, space is now viewed as the promising new territory that awaits us. What have we achieved so far, and at what price? What are the promises of the next 100 years of space exploration? More importantly, how does space exploration impact out lives, our culture, and our future, as passengers of spaceship Earth?
Pangratios Papacosta holds a PhD in Physics from the University of London and teaches in the Science and Math Department at Columbia College Chicago. He has published widely and has 30 years of experience delivering public lectures about science to diverse audiences. He was also the recipient of the Teacher of the Year award at Columbia College and the Socratic Award for Extraordinary Contributions to the Development of the Center for Greek Studies at the University of Florida.
