Page 28 - aruba-today-20190622

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 22 June 2019
AP-NORC poll: Asteroid watch more urgent than Mars trip

By MARCIA DUNN and EM- to the space station," said
ILY SWANSON Curtis, a store cashier who
Associated Press says he's an occasional
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. bounty hunter. He pointed
(AP) — Americans prefer to the first-ever landing by
a space program that fo- a spacecraft on the far
cuses on potential asteroid side of the moon, by China
impacts, scientific research in January.
and using robots to explore Abdul Lotiff, 28, a retail
the cosmos over sending security company man-
humans back to the moon ager in Mason City, Iowa,
or on to Mars, a poll shows. also favors a return to the
The poll by The Associ- moon. He sees economic
ated Press-NORC Center benefits there, with the
for Public Affairs Research resulting new tech spill-
, released Thursday, one ing into areas outside the
month before the 50th an- space business. In addition,
niversary of the Apollo 11 he said, if and when Earth
moon landing, lists asteroid becomes overpopulated,
and comet monitoring as the moon could serve as a
the No. 1 desired objec- springboard for humanity's
tive for the U.S. space pro- expansion into space.
gram. About two-thirds of The survey asked Ameri-
Americans call that very or cans to directly choose be-
extremely important, and tween the moon and Mars
about a combined 9 in 10 for exploration by U.S. as-
say it's at least moderately tronaut. The red planet was
important. the winner by about dou-
The poll comes as the White ble: 37% compared with
House pushes to get astro- 18%. However, 43% said
nauts back on the moon, neither destination was a
but only about a quarter priority.
of Americans said moon For Americans under 45 —
or Mars exploration by as- born after NASA's Apollo
tronauts should be among In this Nov. 1969 photo made available by NASA, Apollo 12 mission Commander Charles P. "Pete" moonshots — Mars came
the space program's high- Conrad stands on the moon's surface. out on top by an even
est priorities. About another Associated Press larger margin: 50% prefer a
third called each of those Mars trip, versus 17% for the
moderately important. er stuff can wait." for human Mars expedi- bigger things" including moon. A third said neither
Neil Armstrong and Buzz After asteroid and comet tions and 23% for crewed "Mars (of which the Moon is should be a priority.
Aldrin on July 20, 1969, be- monitoring, scientific re- moonshots. a part)." NASA administra- For those 45 and older, 52%
came the first humans to search to expand knowl- In a dead heat for last tor Jim Bridenstine later ex- said neither Mars nor the
walk on another celestial edge of Earth and the rest place among the nine plained that the moon can moon should be a priority
body. In all, 12 NASA as- of the solar system and listed goals: setting up per- be used as a "waypoint" for as a human destination. Of
tronauts stepped on the universe came next on the manent human residences Mars access. that age bracket, 26% pre-
moon. list of Americans' space pri- on other planets, with 21% Toni Dewey, 71, a retired ferred sending astronauts
Jan Dizard, 78, a retired en- orities — about 6 in 10 said ranking it as a very high pri- clerical worker in Wilming- to Mars and 19% to the
vironmental studies profes- that was very or extremely ority, and establishing a U.S. ton, North Carolina, said moon.
sor living in Chico, Califor- important. Close to half military presence in space space exploration should As for the White House's
nia, acknowledges there's said the same about send- with 19%. While other goals benefit life on Earth and deadline of returning astro-
more to learn on the moon ing robotic probes, rather were considered at least the explorers should be nauts to the moon within
and it would be "miracu- than astronauts, to explore moderately important by machines versus humans. five years — NASA is aim-
lous" to send astronauts space, and about 4 in 10 majorities of Americans, "It would cost a lot of mon- ing for the water ice-rich
to Mars. But now's not the said the same about con- about half called a military ey to send somebody to lunar south pole by 2024
time, he stressed. tinued funding of the Inter- presence and space colo- Mars," she said, "and we — about 4 in 10 Americans
"There are all kinds of oth- national Space Station. nies unimportant. have roads and bridges favored the plan, versus 2
er things, not the least of Searching for life on other President Donald Trump, that need repaired here." in 10 against. The remain-
which is climate change, planets came in fifth with who wants to create a As for the moon, Dewey der had no strong opinion
that deserve our attention," 34% rating it at least very Space Force as a new noted, "We've been there." either way.
Dizard told the AP. "This oth- important, followed by 27% military service, said at a But Alan Curtis, 47, of Po- The good news, at least for
rally formally kicking off catello, Idaho, considers NASA and its contractors,
his reelection campaign moon and Mars trips a top is that 60% of Americans
this week that, if he wins a priority, especially if the U.S. believe the benefits of the
second term, the country is to remain a world lead- space program have justi-
will "lay the foundation" for er in space. Compared fied the cost.
landing astronauts on Mars. with its feats of the 1960s In 1979 — on the 10th anni-
That came after a confus- and 1970s, the U.S. space versary of the first manned
ing tweet from Trump in program is now a second moon landing — 41% of
which he said that NASA thought, he said. Americans said the ben-
"should NOT be talking "It's pretty bad that we efits were worth the cost,
about going to the Moon" have to rent a spot on a according to an AP-NBC
and instead focus on "much Russian spacecraft to get News poll.q