Since the Apollo moon landings and the dissolution of the Soviet Union—which effectively ended the Cold War—space exploration has remained an unavoidable topic of discussion. In recent years, the resurgence of interest in space exploration has been fueled by SpaceX’s reusable rockets, which have significantly lowered the cost of sending humans to the Moon and Mars. Space exploration has become increasingly hot and appealing.
Is space exploration really worth the enormous costs?
Space exploration is far from cheap. Sending a robot into outer space can cost millions of dollars, while putting astronauts into orbit costs billions. Sending explorers to the nearest planets could potentially cost hundreds of billions of dollars.
Are “space exploration” and “solving Earth’s problems” mutually exclusive or complementary?
There are already numerous challenges on Earth: climate change, famine, overpopulation, and underdeveloped regions, to name a few. Should humanity prioritize these problems over exploring outer space?
Perhaps the greatest benefit of human spaceflight and exploration is the ability to study Earth from low Earth orbit. This has provided unprecedented insights into Earth’s climate and weather systems, and—more importantly—has given humanity the ability to measure these systems and understand the impact of human activity on them.
Some critics argue that funding space exploration diverts limited resources away from Earth’s problems, such as combating climate change, alleviating poverty, and addressing famine. However, this is not an either-or scenario. Instead of being mutually exclusive, space exploration and solving Earthly problems can coexist. If space science research is integrated with efforts to address Earth’s challenges, the two can complement each other rather than compete for resources.
What benefits does space exploration bring?
The most obvious benefit of the space age is the advancement of human knowledge about space. By sending satellites and manned spacecraft into orbit, scientists have gained more insight into Earth’s atmosphere and ecosystems, while also facilitating the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The deployment of satellites has also triggered a revolution in communication technologies. Since Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957, approximately 8,100 satellites from 40 countries have been deployed for telecommunications, television, radio broadcasting, navigation, and military purposes. By 2019, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) estimated that 5,074 satellites were in Earth orbit. In the coming years, with the growing demand for telecommunication and satellite networks, thousands more satellites are expected to be launched to meet the internet access needs of developing countries.
Moreover, satellite deployment, manned missions, and space stations have driven the necessity for the International Space Station (ISS), which has had a revolutionary impact on Earth science research and space technology. The ISS is a platform that unites nations and promotes international cooperation. Eighteen space agencies, including NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), have participated in its creation. These countries regularly send personnel to the ISS for academic research and exploration; by 2019, 236 astronauts had visited.
Government-funded space research and development have also produced countless new technologies and commercial benefits. For example, NASA-funded research has contributed to the development of LED lighting, portable cordless vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, freeze-drying technology, memory foam, image enhancement and analysis systems, computer-aided design (CAD), embedded web technologies (EWT), and weather visualization and forecasting software. In health and medicine, it has advanced ventricular assist devices (VADs), prosthetics, food safety systems, water and air filtration, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), improving our understanding of genetic diseases, osteoporosis, and degenerative disorders.
Where do we go from here?
As we enter a new era of space exploration, it is crucial to consider these issues. This new era will require similar investments of time, effort, resources, and vision. It also requires us to consider whether we could solve Earth’s problems without investing in space exploration.
In the next decade, NASA, Roscosmos, China, India, the European Union, and other space agencies aim to explore the lunar surface and establish a permanent outpost, send astronauts to Mars, explore the outer planets of the solar system, and search for unknown life.
All of these initiatives demand enormous funding, and future budget conditions remain uncertain. Although numerous startups promise to make space travel more cost-effective—through reusable rockets and spacecraft—we may still encounter challenges and need to make sacrifices.
Space exploration can significantly expand humanity’s understanding of fields ranging from geology (studying planetary crusts and surfaces) to astronomy (establishing telescopes on the Moon) and biology (searching for extraterrestrial life). When we weigh the knowledge and opportunities we stand to gain against the costs, the investment in space exploration appears to be a worthwhile opportunity rather than an excessive burden.
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