By Brian Anderson, Ph.D.
Program Director, Space Studies at American Military University

I find it amusing when I’m asked “is there a future in studying space?” I realize that the demise of NASA’s manned space flight program drives that notion, but as a society at large, sometimes we lose sight of the other many missions and enterprises that are reliant on the space industry. Did you know that you cannot even pump gas at a modern station or access your local ATM without satellites helping to complete your transaction? We use space assets every day without many of us even realizing it. However, there are many others that do realize it, and they’re making large investments into the future of the space industry.