Hard Times on Earth Inspire Some to Look to the Stars

• APRIL 1, 2009

By JEFFREY ZASLOW

On many evenings, as darkness sets in, Jamie Vogel turns off his TV and computer, steps outside his home in Raleigh, N.C., and tilts his head upward to contemplate the stars.

We may be living in bad times, says Mr. Vogel, a 43-year-old computer engineer, "but it's never a bad time to look up at the sky."

NASA

What NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle might look like in lunar orbit.

Yes, much of the world is focused on the travails of the global economy. We're bombarded by news of layoffs and foreclosures. But Mr. Vogel and others like him are making an extra effort to look beyond our little planet. They argue that this age of uncertainty is actually a good time to dream mankind's biggest dreams. And they're being encouraged by space-exploration proponents who are finding new ways to involve amateur astronomers.

The Planetary Society, a nonprofit advocacy group, recently asked its 50,000 members to vote on issues such as establishing a human presence on Mars, mining asteroids for resources and searching for extraterrestrial life. People could check either "Take it on!" or "Don't even try."

The Space Telescope Science Institute>>>