A natural outgrowth of the military and prestige facets of space
exploration is the question of whether this activity, in time, will
replace the forces which have historically driven nations into armed
conflict.
Any number of social scientists and historians have speculated that this
might occur. The theory is that the conquest of space may prove to be
the moral equivalent of war by substituting for certain material and
psychological needs usually supplied through war; that the absorption of
energies, resources, imagination, and aggressiveness in pursuit of the
space adventure may become an effective way of maintaining peace.
Put another way, nations might become "extroverted" to the point where
their urge to overcome the unknown would dwarf their historic desires
for power, wealth, and recognition--attributes which have so often led
to war in the past.
The fact that the United Nations, late in 1959, agreed to set up a
permanent Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space attests to the
hopes and potential of such a development.
Of course, whether this condition will actually develop is anybody's
guess. But in a world where brute force is becoming increasingly
dangerous and catastrophic, the bare possibility of such a result should
not be ignored by those who may be contemplating the values of space
exploration. It could be the highest value of them all.
[Illustration: FIGURE 5.--Today's assembly lines for
automobiles and aircraft are being supplemented by the growing
astronautics industry, here shown turning out capsules for manned space
flight.]