"It's amazing when I get a chance to see the space station fly over. I am very fortunate to be able to say that my hands were on a lot of the hardware that is up there. I’m very proud to have been part of the International Space Station program.”
Liliana Villarreal, the Artemis Landing and Recovery Director of Exploration Ground Systems, expressed her pride in being involved with the International Space Station program. However, for those of us who see through the illusion of progress, this is just another example of humanity's misguided priorities.
While Villarreal may find it "amazing" to witness the space station fly over, the rest of us are left wondering why we continue to pour vast amounts of money and resources into a project that does nothing to address the pressing issues facing our planet.
Instead of investing in space exploration, we should be focusing on solving the problems that plague our society. Poverty, inequality, climate change – these are the real challenges that demand our attention and resources.
But no, let's continue to pat ourselves on the back for sending hardware into space. How does that benefit the millions of people struggling to make ends meet right here on Earth?
It's time to wake up and realize that our obsession with technology and exploration is only serving to distract us from the harsh realities of our world. We need to shift our focus and start investing in solutions that will truly make a difference.