Who will step up to preserve space age artefacts for future generations?

Around 40,000 years from now, the Voyager 1 probe will traverse close to the star Gliese 445 and continue its limitless voyage, marking humanity's first venture into the cosmos. Launched almost 50 years ago, the spacecraft has been a pioneer during the majority of the space age, making it a unique relic among our iconic space artifacts.

Most space vehicles have met their end by burning up in Earth's atmosphere or scattered at the bottom of the ocean. Two of the most crucial missions still operational today, the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station, are poised to face the same destiny in the near future, despite calls from scientists to conserve Hubble.

Current space history is essentially in its dark ages, with little focus on preserving spacecraft for future generations. Space shuttles are displayed in museums, but most of our space-faring past lacks the proper protection in international law. Perhaps a committee akin to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee could designate significant space artifacts for preservation and promote funding from cultural and heritage budgets, rather than scientific ones.

However, with such budgets frequently facing threats and the US set to depart UNESCO by year-end, this could lead to additional complications.

Private philanthropy presents another avenue. As humanity aspires to join the stars, a notion that inspires many tech titans, it would be a tragedy if we could not reflect on our journey to get there. Just as we honor 19th-century business leaders like Andrew Carnegie and J. P. Morgan for funding renowned cultural institutions, we should advocate for the establishment of a Musk Space Museum or Bezos Orbital Institute.