1 August 2023

I don’t attempt to know anything about the space, but I am sure many of us heard of the term “Star Wars” as in the movie.  Forty years ago, the US government launched the strategic defensive initiative, nicknamed Star Wars.  According to Wikipedia, “The Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), was a proposed missile defence system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles). The concept was announced on 23 March 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, a vocal critic of the doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD), which he described as a "suicide pact". Reagan called upon American scientists and engineers to develop a system that would render nuclear weapons obsolete. Elements of the program re-emerged in 2019 with the Space Development Agency (SDA).”

 

China began its space development in the 1950s, but it was not until two decades ago, Yang Liwei entered the space as the first Chinese astronaut. There is much to learn about space, with collaborative work of different countries, be it security, safety, and opportunity. It is important that knowledge is shared, so that no mechanical disasters would happen. As at July 2023, 19 astronauts were killed in 5 different accidents. We have yet to see any aliens as seen in the movie men in black, Independence Day, or transformers. We probably won’t in our lifetime. But new possibilities out there which will change the next generation are definitely worth exploring.

 

If security, safety, and opportunity were not upheld or protected, our generations to come would have a very different and hard life. When we explore into the future, we alter the roadmap and development for future generations; we don’t do it for ourselves, but for the human kinds. So it has become an ethical issue, rather than just a development issue.

 

No matter which direction we turn to, it is always a good idea to look up, look forward, and move on. Let this be the beginning line for our new Form 1 students.

 

Welcome.

 

Anson Yang