AUTHORS' NOTE

Space is for All. Not because we want it to be, but because we need it to be.

When we first sent small crews of humans to space, we needed people with a specific type of expertise—military test pilots. People with the “right stuff” to fly and solve problems under pressure when their lives are on the line. At that time, those pilots were mostly white men.

When we introduced the space shuttle, the size of the crew more than doubled, and so did the opportunities. We still needed the pilots, but now we also had room for mission specialists. Women and people of color who had broken barriers on Earth were no longer Hidden Figures. Now they got to break barriers in space, too.

As launches to space become more regular—and with our return to the moon — opportunities are growing again. The dream of humans living and working in space long-term as a community is starting to come true.

Our planet has its share of problems. Realities like climate change, deforestation, freshwater depletion, and others challenge us more every day. Being in space lets us study Earth as a whole and look to other planets and stars for solutions. But you can’t solve problems if you don’t fully understand them. Real global solutions need input from a diversity of cultures, experiences, and thought. We need everyone. We need you.

Yes, you. You belong among the stars. Because as the late astronomer and scientist Carl Sagan told us, we are the stars. The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth and bones, and the iron in our blood are also found in the stars. You have the right stuff because you’re made of star-stuff.

- Leland Melvin and Joe Caramagna