Introduction
Why space missions are worth the money and the risk : By Elisabetta Intini, Italian Science writer
Space exploration involves great economic investment, massive risks and seemingly impossible objectives. So why should we commit ourselves to it? Because it can benefit us, as individuals and as a species, in unexpected ways.
It protects us from asteroids
The asteroid threat may be manna from heaven for the catastrophists, but it has to be taken into consideration: a serious and well-funded space programme must have the capacity to monitor large asteroids that could potentially destroy our planet...
It safeguards our health
From a robotic arm that can work directly using functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to methods of administering anti-cancer drugs aimed directly at diseased cells, research in microgravity has brought about important innovations in the field of medicine...
It brings about great discoveries
From the thermal space blanket, used today by marathon runners at the end of races, to the portable vacuum cleaners we now have in our homes...
It inspires younger generations
You could either ask a child, ‘Would you like to become an aeronautical engineer whose job it is to design a plane 20 per cent more efficient than the previous model?'...
We need new raw materials
The moon, for example, is rich in helium-3, a very rare isotope on Earth that is used mostly for nuclear-fusion research...
It guarantees us greater world security
The political role of surveillance satellites in studying the military movements of countries is well-known...
It sets an example of peaceful collaboration
Many positive collaborations between nations emerge from space exploration, from the subdivision of costs to the sharing of technological resources..
It could answer that eternal question... are we alone in the universe?
So far, the Kepler space telescope has unveiled a long list of other ‘Earths' beyond our solar system..
It responds to an age-old desire
that is, the thirst for exploration, which, for time immemorial, has characterised humanity...
We need to colonise space
There's been enough damage done to this planet. Very soon, if we want the human race to survive, we will need to colonise another planet...
You can agree or desagree with these ideas, but space exploration leaves no one indifferent.
If you want to read more about this article...
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