Improvements Needed to Georgetown's Place in Space

The Heyden Observatory on Georgetown’s campus. One of the oldest observatories in the United States.

Credit: Georgetown University Astronomical Society

Space is the future. Unfortunately, it’s also largely out of mind and out of sight on Georgetown’s campus. Georgetown should embrace its rich astronomical history and look towards the future to prepare its students to be leaders in the space industry.

Space matters. Space has and will continue to shape history. Space will continue to serve as a medium for competition and cooperation between nations. The heroes of future generations will be those willing to put their lives in danger to plant flags on the surfaces of new planets and moons.

Space offers humanity refuge. Our rapid consumption of natural resources and our changing climate pose the question of how long we can survive on this planet. Many of the greatest thinkers believe that timeframe shorter than might think it is. Stephen Hawking once said that “the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space.” Space exploration and colonization may be the only answer to the survival of humanity.

Space will become more personal to more people. Space will play an increasingly prominent role in the life of the common individual as private companies increase the commonality of space travel and expand the capacity for human beings to travel farther and faster throughout our solar system and beyond.

Space will define the future of business. The space industry is expanding and evolving rapidly. Private companies led by billionaires seek to define the modern space era and unseat NASA as the dominant force in the space industry. Space offers enterprising individuals the potential to make more money than any earthly company could offer. Senator Ted Cruz believes that “the first trillionaire will be made in space” mining asteroids. Neil deGrasse Tyson agrees. 

Space is something that touches science, philosophy, politics, art, business, mathematics, and computer science to name a few. As NASA puts it, “human space exploration helps to address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe and the history of our solar system.” Space is a place we can only reach when we, as humanity, put our best work into getting there. Thus, it represents the canvas of much of humanity’s greatest works. 

For these reasons, I think it’s important that Georgetown improve its space-related academic offerings.

Future leaders in the public and private sectors must be prepared to deal with space-related threats and opportunities as they pertain to national security, economic competitiveness, and scientific expansion. Georgetown lacks sufficient opportunities for students to learn about space in an academic setting. No classes on space were offered in the fall semester of 2019 for undergraduates. Nor are any offered this semester.

We’re losing to one of our competitors in the realm of space education. George Washington University houses the Space Policy Institute, a program dedicated to students pursuing an upper-level education in space. It’s staffed with impressive, experienced professionals who are defining the industry. Georgetown has one adjunct who teaches one class.

Our observatory, a place of incredible historical significance for Georgetown and the international astronomy community, has fallen into disrepair. It should be a prized location. Instead, it’s become a dark, little-known corner of campus.

Space is the future. Georgetown students should be a part of it. To do so, they need academic support. I propose, for starters, repairing the Georgetown’s Heyden Observatory and offering a greater selection of classes about space in the MSB, SFS, NHS, and the College. These classes could cover economic opportunities in space, space diplomacy, and human health and scientific challenges posed by space travel in their respective curricula. With an increased selection of space-related classes, a Space Studies major concentration could be made available to students. These increased academic opportunities would allow students to pursue their passions in space in an academic setting and enable a new generation of space-conscious policy makers, scientists, and business people to lead the industry into a brighter future.

Brian Britt is a junior in the School of Foreign Service studying Science and Technology in International Affairs. He is a co-founder of the Georgetown University Space Initiative.