Astronauts are not the only ones who should reach for the stars

A column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk

HUMANITY needs a spirit of adventure and discovery if is to successfully negotiate the challenges of the 21st century. I was fortunate enough to be raised by a family that encouraged curiosity, and to have been in the right place at the right time when the search began for astronauts at the dawn of the space shuttle programme.

During my astronaut career, I flew five space missions and made Nasa’s first unplanned space walk. But my proudest moment was in 1993 when I left the shelter of the shuttle to repair the Hubble space telescope.

By restoring to working order one of the most remarkable pieces of technology ever built, our crew enabled humanity to explore the farthest reaches of the universe. Many wonderful discoveries have resulted, and I am privileged to have been part of Hubble’s story.

Space exploration and utilisation have transformed civilisation. The launch of Sputnik in 1957 seemed like an astounding feat. But we now take it for granted that the Earth is ringed with satellites providing GPS, phone networks, and other services fundamental to global commerce and leisure.

At the same time we have also been altering the world in negative ways. Climate change, sea level rise, war, disease, hunger and massive political and social upheaval are having dire consequences. Observations from space have made us aware of the extent of these problems, but solutions must come on the ground.

Without more civilisation changing advances in the years ahead we could face catastrophe. For example, we have failed to develop new antibiotics while knowing full well that germs are becoming resistant to those we have. And yet there’s reason for hope. My wife Barbara (whom I met while doing research at Leicester University in the 1970s) and I are visiting Scotland this month to fulfill my long-held ambition to see the Garden of Cosmic Speculation, created by artist Charles Jencks at his home in Dumfries and Galloway. We will also visit his new exhibition in Sanquhar and the nearby Crawick Multiverse, his 55-acre artland inspired by astronomy, science and cosmology.

I first encountered Charles’s work during a trip to Cambridge in 2003. Lord Rees, Astronomer Royal and Master of Trinity College, showed me a book containing sumptuous photographs of his land art. I was astounded by his ability to magnify science through art.

So when I speak of the need for a spirit of adventure and discovery, I mean one that pervades all human activity, including science, business and art. I feel strongly about the value of art – visual artists and musicians explore new worlds as much as astronomers and astronauts.

We must inspire young people to imagine and strive. We need scientists doing groundbreaking research, engineers turning ideas into practical applications and entrepreneurs taking them to the market.

Without this we may not develop the new energy sources we urgently need to combat climate change – and perhaps master nuclear fusion, transforming mankind’s future.

Here again the arts offer much. My father took me as a boy to the New York Planetarium, where I looked in rapture, learning about planets and constellations. Now, in Scotland, Jencks offers even greater visions. Using stone, earth and water he lets us glimpse the lives and deaths of entire galaxies.

It is often emotional and artistic responses that fuel our curiosity and drive us to push back boundaries. Progress involves taking risks, something Scotland and the UK have a proud tradition of doing.

In space, it may well be publicprivate partnerships that propel us to the next stages of exploration, such as manned missions to Mars, since private enterprise can take more risks than public bodies.

But policymakers have an invaluable role to play in our collective future. Only they can ensure the right environment exists for young men and women to have the opportunities they need to push us forward.

That will only happen if we have enlightened government. And I invite everyone to look at our world right now and judge for themselves how much of that we’ve got. Retired Nasa astronaut Dr Jeffrey Hoffman will speak about fixing the Hubble space telescope at Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries, on Thursday at 7.30pm. Booking essential. See www. crichtonfoundation.org for details.