Why is space exploration so important?
Initially, we were afraid the Russians would stake out the moon before us. The government’s motive was fear. Now, most scientists agree that the space station is a waste of money and time, and lunar exploration has little more to offer. There is talk of sending people to Mars, and we could learn from that, and eventually, maybe, increase the longevity of mankind by setting up an outpost there (that’s my speculation). However, more realistically, space exploration is MUCH cheaper and safer when sending robots instead of people. Another angle – I know people who went on to study what mankind could do to stop a meteor from destroying earth, and I think their research is probably in our best interest. Maybe we should think of it in terms of price per person. My calculations are that NASA costs us $62 per US citizen each year. We probably spend more on coffee…
