The Western world in general and the United States in particular recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the landing of the first man on the Moon. Americans considered this 1969 event to be an important victory over the Soviet camp, which at the time was ahead of them in the space race. The Soviets launched the first spacecraft, put the first living creature, a dog, into space followed by the first man and then the first woman as well, all of which led to American confusion and astonishment.

In 1961, when John Kennedy succeeded Dwight Eisenhower as president, he stated his vision for American space exploration in simple terms. He said that in a decade America would land the first person on the Moon, setting the target and the timeframe. Kennedy did not live to witness his dream come true, but the Moon landing gave enormous confidence to US politicians, business people, the scientific community and the American people. The billions of dollars spent on the project funded intensive scientific research, and made it possible for inventions and products to move from laboratories and the world of space to the commercial world.

This led to a confirmation of America’s economic superiority based on excellence in the creation of ideas and proactive visions. However, the Moon landing did not escape the enemies of science who called the event a “conspiracy” and a “deception,” with some even declaring that the earth was flat and not round. This struggle of ignorance with science and scientific progress still exists.

The commercial exploitation of space has led to large-scale investments being made by Richard Branson and his company Virgin, as well as Jeff Bezos and his companies, and of course Elon Musk the CEO of SpaceX.

The commercial world will seek to exploit space-related programs that involve projects, such as travel, transportation, shipment of goods and therapeutic medicine, as there is a theory that cancer cells, viruses, and bacteria cannot multiply without gravity.

America and Russia have been joined in the space race by China, Japan, the European Union and India, which all have ambitious projects and bold ideas.

If the 50 years that have passed since the Moon landing are a cause for celebration, the next 50 years will be a scientific thriller of unlimited imagination. This is an opportunity for all humanity to celebrate and dream, with little or no consolation for the ignorance of skeptics.