Editorial: What should be our mission for Indiana and Indianapolis?

We typically stick to local issues in IBJ editorials, but NASA’s successful launch of Artemis II and the crew’s flyby of the moon — NASA’s first return since the Apollo era — has us thinking bigger. Yes, we’re thinking about the Earth, the solar system, even the universe as we view the stunning photos shot by the Artemis II crew and watch the astronauts talk to the world from space.

But the mission has us thinking more philosophically as well — about what it means to develop a big goal like going to the moon and then to make it happen.

Of course, going to the moon isn’t new. NASA has been there before. But it has been more than 50 years since the last lunar landing. And going back is no small feat. It has taken meticulous planning, new technology, thousands of small-scale tests and individuals willing to risk their lives for the sake of science.

Artemis II flew around the moon and, as we write this, was heading home. NASA currently targets the first crewed Artemis lunar landing for early 2028. That’s when the space agency — working with private companies — wants to land astronauts near the moon’s south pole.

The goal is to develop a lunar base where astronauts and other workers can live, mine for key resources and research what could be the next step — missions to Mars. Advocates of going to the moon believe it’s a first step in developing a commercial space industry.

The mission this week is an early but fundamental step in a process to accomplish what could otherwise be seen as an impossibly difficult larger goal.

So now let’s bring that idea back down not just to Earth but to our own community. The goals we set for Indianapolis might seem small compared to going to the moon and then Mars. But they can still seem exceedingly hard to accomplish.

So let’s take a few lessons from NASA. Let’s think big. Let’s think so big that it’s almost scary. What would we do in Indianapolis, in central Indiana and statewide if we just let go of our preconceived notions about what’s possible?

That’s what we think the folks at the Rethink Coalition have done. They took what once seemed like a crazy idea — recessing and capping the interstate highways through downtown — and turned it into a plan that even state officials are at least talking about. Are state and federal authorities who would have to fund that plan on board yet? No. But government money did fund a study of the ideas, and officials have shown interest in talking about it.

We’re interested in your big ideas — and what barriers would need to be summited to get there. Go to IBJ.com/ideas to share your thoughts. We are excited to see them.•

__________

To comment, write to [email protected].