Move 3: Why Is Space Exploration Important?
Scientists of Tomorrow to Advocate for a Sensible Approach to Exploration | Clara Ma
“NASA is an investment, not an expenditure.”
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
Innate Human Curiosity
A Common Goal
The Value of Space Exploration
Humans are inherently curious species whose reasoning behind doing things is what Neil deGrasse Tyson refers to as “decidedly irrational, even primal.” This way of thinking sets us apart from any other species on Earth, for we, as humans, find ourselves “constantly looking beyond the horizon,” always craving information about the things we don’t know or understand, in order to feel satisfied with our place in society.
We are the only species capable of pushing our minds to build effective spacecraft that can reach farther into the depths of space every time, that can bring back information that no one has ever encountered before.
Astronomer Carl Sagan named his famous book Pale Blue Dot after pictures from far away in space that showed our planet as a simple pale blue dot. This dot shows no people; it is rather “unmarked and undivided.” From far away, disputes between countries’ borders and differing political ideologies all seem insignificant, even silly.
There is a serenity and permanence about space, where humans can fight with each other all they want, but we can look up at the sky and the same stars are still there, still glowing.
“When it comes to exploring the universe, we are all on the same team… The skies are endlessly fascinating, exploration is open to everybody, and science does not discriminate.”
- Clara Ma
By international agreement, no individual country or person can lay claim on anything in space, which includes the moon, planets, asteroids, comets, etc. Consequently, the top minds from all over the world, regardless of their ethnicity or nationality, can collaborate with one another in both the name of science and the human race as a whole.
Joan Vernikos, a member of the Space Studies Board of the National Academy, has pointed out the fact that “NASA has done so much with so little that it has generally been assumed to have had a huge budget.” In reality, NASA’s budget accounts for less than 0.5% of the federal budget.
That said, all the money that NASA spends does not simply disappear into thin air, but it stays on Earth, particularly in the United States, where it supports the jobs of people all over the country and provides companies with business. For every dollar spent on the space program, the United States economy receives about $8 in return, thus stimulating widespread economic growth.
Every dollar that NASA spends also results in innovation, in spin off technologies that make our lives much easier on Earth and largely contribute to economic growth and human progress. These technologies include but are not limited to: microchips, water filters, smoke detectors, GPS, scratch-resistant lenses, cordless power tools, memory-foam mattresses, ear thermometers, household water filters, shoe insoles, long-distance telecommunication devices, and LASIK surgery.