Space exploration is hard. It's about pushing the knowledge boundaries further. People have lost their lives.
Money is spent there and many times people don't figure out why. For those outside the scientific world is even more difficult to understand and tolerate such spending. Being aware of the problems people have worldwide it seems that spending money for getting nice pictures of stars is a rich guy/country's hobby. Off course this is not about taking nice pictures.
And...
as everything in life, this issue must be put in perspective.
Using NASA as the obvious example and Neil deGrasse Tyson as the obvious speaker let's find out:
1.How expensive it is to explore space.
2.Examples of technologies brought from space exploration and applied on everyday life.
Yes, that's right. Many tools and technologies we use daily were, directly or indirectly, developed or improved by or for space exploration. Apparently when someone struggles to solve problems up there end up improving the quality of life down here. The list is not small..
At home
- Harnessing solar energy
- Audio equipment
- Portable X-ray devices
- Environmental cleansing
- Scratch resistant and UV blocking
- Insulated paint
- Wireless headset
- Carbon Monoxide detection
- Work surface light bulbs
- Sports equipment
- Enriched baby food
- Water purification
- Cordless vacuums
- Freeze dried technology
- Reflexive insulation
- Infrared Ear Thermometers
- Cosmetics
- Ingestible toothpaste
- Environmentally safe sewage treatment
Ready for more?
Air travel
- Collision avoidance systems
- Clean burning engines
- Pilot stress tests
- Jet lag prevention
- Parachute systems
Automotive
- Improved radial tires
- Advanced lubricants
- Crash analysis
- Brake systems
- Highway safety
Coastal
- Search and rescue at sea
- Flood monitoring
- Pollution remediation
- Dam corrosion and bridge support
- Biodegradable environmental cleanup
Sports
- Shock absorbing shoes
- Protective padding
- Helmets
- Ingestible thermometers
- Cool suits
- Heart rate monitors
Still there?
Grocery
- Food safety system
- Packaging and freeze drying
- Ethylene removal system
Public safety
- Fire sensors
- Face masks and fire suits
- Land mine removals
- Anthrax detection
- Self illuminating materials
Bear with me
Manufacturing
- Rapid prototyping
- Chemical detection
- Improved welding
- Power plant design
Medical
- Automatic insulin pumps
- Artificial limbs
- Clean room apparel
- Diamond coatings and artificial hip joints
- Ventricular assist device
- Gait analysis system
- Precision dialysis pumps and filters
All of a sudden it doesn't look that expensive and this is only by considering the positive externalities of the space exploration and not the scientific knowledge about the Universe.
How cool is that?
you might want to check the following post for related cool stuff being done in space
https://steemit.com/bioprinting/@technovedanta/3d-bioprinting-in-space
Thanks for reading.
RMach