Space exploration—an infinite frontier

THE US NATIONAL Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) marks its 50th anniversary this year. NASA was founded during the Cold War shortly after the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik, the first unmanned orbital spacecraft. That event catapulted the two countries, and eventually the world, into a "space race" that has continued in some measure ever since.

Over the last 50 years, advances in space exploration have included manned moon landings, the deployment of weather and communications satellites, projects in support of military objectives, development of reusable space shuttles, the launch of orbiting observatories and planetary probes, and the ongoing construction of the International Space Station.

The beginning of the space race also marked the launch of a debate in the public forum about the wisdom and benefit of investing monetary and intellectual resources into programs that some have considered of lower priority than addressing challenges we face on Earth. There has also been concern about threats from space-based military technology, along with worries about "space junk"—man-made debris in Earth orbit—that might collide with operational spacecraft, or fall into Earth's atmosphere and ultimately onto an inhabited part of the planet.

These concerns have resurfaced in recent years with the expansion of space-based military networks, the proliferation of orbiting observatories, and the announcement of new efforts to develop next-generation reusable shuttles and to rejuvenate human spaceflight— to the moon, Mars, and beyond.

Proponents of space exploration point to benefits humanity has already received from these endeavors as a reason to pursue new missions. These include better weather forecasting and monitoring of Earth's atmosphere and climate, improved communications capabilities, advanced imaging techniques now used in medical technology and law enforcement, and new man-made materials that benefit communities worldwide.

INFINITE CAPACITY FOR GOOD

Resolving such complex issues, especially those that have a global impact, requires creativity, intelligence, and foresight. And prayer is what enables us to step away from the competition between material concepts, resources, and issues to think instead in spiritual terms. This shift in thought helps to clarify priorities.

To accurately perceive the spiritual creation of God, we can rely on the Bible, which explains that God made all, and that God is Mind, the source of all intelligence. It also states clearly that man (including male and female) is spiritual, made in the likeness of God. To understand ourselves in these spiritual terms reveals that each of us express in full measure all the qualities of the divine Mind.

One way Mind's infinitude is expressed in humanity is through expanding thought, in progressive views that transcend limitations. Jesus promised, "With God all things are possible" (Matt 19:26 ). It's natural for men and women, expressing divine intelligence, to have an expansive outlook and to realize new capabilities and discoveries.

This view frees us from being earthbound! The concept of a space-based observatory or manned missions to Mars might be one example of this spiritual predicion that Mary Baker Eddy made over a century ago: "The elements and functions of the physical body and of the physical world will change as mortal mind changes its beliefs. . . . The astronomer will no longer look up to the stars,—he will look out from them upon the universe. . ." (Science and Health, pp. 124-125 ).

As humanity's thought is increasingly spiritualized, there will be more, not less, evidence of the infinite capacity that each of us expresses as the idea of divine Mind. Since Mind, which is also synonymous with Spirit, can't be limited by matter, which is its opposite, neither can honest human endeavor be hedged in or limited. And success in one area of human endeavor complements and supports success in all areas, demonstrating that "God expresses in man the infinite idea forever developing itself, broadening and rising higher and higher from a boundless basis" (Science and Health, p. 258 ).

COLLABORATION ON A BOUNDLESS BASIS

Reasoning from "a boundless basis" brings exhilaration and expectancy of success in tackling difficult problems—and an invigorated sense of purpose in overcoming obstacles on the path to success.

For example, shortly after the Hubble Space Telescope was launched, a serious flaw was discovered with its primary mirror, blurring all its images. During an intense investigation of possible solutions, optical expert Murk Botema suggested employing a series of small mirrors. But no one knew how to insert these mirrors into the light stream in an accurate and safe manner.

A NASA website describes the subsequent solution as "so remarkable as to seem apocryphal." One evening an electrical engineer named Jim Crocker "stepped into the shower in his hotel room. The European-style fixtures included a showerhead on an arrangement of adjustable rods. While manipulating the shower, Crocker realized that similar articulated arms bearing Bottema's mirrors" was the solution. He said, "I could see Murk Bottema's mirrors on the showerhead."

What a wonderful expression of intelligence and insight with one idea building on another! Bottema and Crocker's collective vision, based on a simple showerhead design, was realized in the successful deployment of COSTAR—Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement.

Hundreds of engineers and scientists from around the world collaborated in attacking the problem head-on, refusing to give in to the temptation of thinking that the problem could not be overcome.

FEARLESS ENDEAVORS

What about the risks of space exploration? There are those serious concerns about "space junk" and the general threat posed by human spaceflight, as well as the proliferation of a military presence in space.

All these concerns point to the need to address fear from the standpoint of prayer. The fear-based mortal view of existence—what the Apostle Paul called the "carnal mind"—presents danger regarding every aspect of life. If we give in to every safety concern it presents, life would not even seem worth living, much less worth exploring.

But the carnal mind has no authority in the infinite presence of the divine Mind. The Bible promises "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (II Tim 1:7 ). If God is the supreme power in the universe, if He ordains the moon and the stars (see Ps. 8), if He maintains the cosmos—then there can be no place for fear.

The order and harmony of the divine consciousness is the source of all intelligence and being. When we look to God as the perfect conductor orchestrating all activity, and affirm that all divine Mind's ideas work in perfect celestial harmony, we can't fear that one righteous endeavor can have a destructive effect on another. And we can trust that if an endeavor isn't right, it won't ultimately find approval to go forward.

Divine law has precedence over all man-made rules, theories, or plans. God's promises of His loving care and protection are timeless and technology-independent. For all eternity, God's children live "in the secret place of the most High" (see Ps. 91:1 ), and that secret place is demonstrable here on Earth, as well as 50 million light-years away.

Challenges and triumphs are tackled and won across the globe, and beyond, on a daily basis, in every field of research. Divine intelligence is always at hand. We can count on it to show us new and better ways to bless humanity and to lead us in making course corrections when necessary. Prayer supports our ability to fearlessly prove that there are no limits in understanding the universe, while also addressing the world's needs. css