Teenage Spaceflight Will Inspire Youth Into Math, Science and Engineering Careers to Become the New Aerospace Pioneers
To inspire the next generation of American aerospace leaders and respark youth interest in discovery, Apollo 17 Commander Gene Cernan proposes sending teenager into space in an editorial in the December 23 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.
“If we can send a 77-year-old into space, why not a 17 year old? The teenagers of today are the ones who will become our leaders of tomorrow. Let’s give their generation some ownership of space and ultimately of their own destiny. Theirs is the one that will determine how and when mankind will return to the Moon and one day set foot on Mars,” writes Cernan.
Thirty years after he left the last footprints on the Moon, Cernan’s concern about America’s declining leadership position in math, science and engineering warrants a radical move to inspire young people to become the next generation of discoverers and pioneers.
“To remain competitive and to maintain world leadership and domestic security, America needs a highly educated, superbly trained and a decidedly motivated work force. But there is evidence that America’s leaders of tomorrow are not keeping pace in the mathematics, science and engineering. The problem seems to be that there is little to inspire the next generation.
“The U.S. desperately needs to do something to recapture the pioneering spirit that allowed it go to the Moon. Americans must find a way to instill in its children the desire to launch expeditions into the unknown — to breach what today seems impractical or even impossible.”
Cernan’s editorial is part of Aviation Week’s Next Century of Flight program, a global, multimedia initiative dedicated to helping the aerospace industry celebrate the 100th anniversary of manned, powered flight in 2003 and position itself for generations to come. Since it was launched in 1998, NCF has connected with millions of professionals and enthusiasts around the world via original Aviation Week articles and essays, curriculum support for students and teachers (including the NCF site at AviationNow.com — an E-School News “Site-of-the-Month”), and related partner programs. The initiative is promoted by an integrated multimedia marketing campaign that showcases NCF programs and partners in government, industry and academia.
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