What are the benefits to space exploration?
That is many questions. The benefits of space exploration to life on Earth are similar to the benefits of ocean exploration by people like Columbus on life in Europe. That is very indirect and long term benefits. Obviously satellites are a very beneficial thing already, and private companies are spending billions of dollars building and launching them so they can sell things like satellite TV and GPS to people. Government and military users get great benefit from weather and communication satellites too. The benefits of manned flight or exploration of distant planets is a less direct and longer term benefit, but eventually it will yield returns too. Some day we will think of space flight the way we think of air travel now. We wouldn’t want to do without it.
