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Joan Vernikos argues that space exploration is essential for human curiosity, creativity, and societal advancement, despite budget constraints. The economic and scientific benefits of manned space missions have historically outweighed their costs, contributing to technological advancements and understanding of human health. Vernikos emphasizes the need for continued investment in space exploration to inspire future generations and maintain U.S. leadership in this field.

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10 views2 pages

657e16ca4503d570c2c0e84a340fb756

Joan Vernikos argues that space exploration is essential for human curiosity, creativity, and societal advancement, despite budget constraints. The economic and scientific benefits of manned space missions have historically outweighed their costs, contributing to technological advancements and understanding of human health. Vernikos emphasizes the need for continued investment in space exploration to inspire future generations and maintain U.S. leadership in this field.

Uploaded by

29dhoang
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost?

By Joan Vernikos

Background Beginning in 1981, NASA launched American astronauts into outer space through
the Space Shuttle Program. However, budget cuts forced NASA to discontinue the shuttle
program in 2011. For years, scientists and economists have debated whether NASA should carry
out human space travel in the future. As Director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division, Dr. Joan
Vernikos studied the harmful effects of weightlessness on astronauts.

Why explore? Asked why he kept trying to climb Everest, English mountaineer George
Mallory reputedly replied, “Because it was there.” Exploration is intrinsic to our nature. It is the
contest between man and nature mixed with the primal desire to conquer. It fuels curiosity,
inspiration and creativity. The human spirit seeks to discover the unknown, and in the process
explore the physical and psychological potential of human endurance.

There have always been the few risk-takers who ventured for the rest of us to follow.
Because of earlier pioneers, air travel is now commonplace, and space travel for all is just around
the corner. Economic and societal benefits are not immediately evident, but they always follow,
as does our understanding of human potential to overcome challenges. Fifty years after Sputnik,
space remains the next frontier.

Without risking human lives, robotic technology such as unmanned missions, probes,
observatories, and landers enables space exploration. It lays the groundwork, and does the
scouting. But as I heard former astronaut Thomas Jones often say, “only a human can experience
what being in space feels like, and only a human can communicate this to others.” It is humans
who repair the Hubble telescope. It is humans who service the International Space Station (ISS).
Mercury astronauts were the first to photograph Earth from space with hand-held cameras. Earth
scientists in orbit on the ISS may view aspects of global change that only a trained eye can see.
In addition, studying astronauts in the microgravity of space has been the only means of
understanding how gravity affects human development and health here on Earth. It is highly
probable that, in this century, humans will settle on other planets. Our ability to explore and
sustain human presence there will not only expand Earth’s access to mineral resources but,
should the need arise, provide alternative habitats for humanity’s survival.

At what cost? Is there a price to inspiration and creativity? Economic, scientific and
technological returns of space exploration have far exceeded the investment. Globally, 43
countries now have. their own observing or communication satellites in Earth orbit. Observing
Earth has provided G.P.S., meteorological forecasts, predictions and management of hurricanes
and other natural disasters, and global monitoring of the environment, as well as surveillance and
intelligence. Satellite communications have changed life and business practices with computer
operations, cell phones, global banking, and TV. Studying humans living in the microgravity of
space has expanded our understanding of osteoporosis and balance disorders, and has led to new
treatments. Wealth-generating medical devices and instrumentation such as digital
mammography and outpatient breast biopsy procedures and the application of telemedicine to
emergency care are but a few of the social and economic benefits of manned exploration that we
take for granted.
Space exploration is not a drain on the economy; it generates infinitely more wealth than
it spends. Royalties on NASA patents and licenses currently go directly to the U.S. Treasury, not
back to NASA. I firmly believe that the Life Sciences Research Program would be self
supporting if permitted to receive the return on its investment. NASA has done so much with so
little that it has generally been assumed to have had a huge budget. In fact, the 2007 NASA
budget of $16.3 billion is a minute fraction of the $13 trillion total G.D.P.

“What’s the hurry?” is a legitimate question. As the late Senator William Proxmire said
many years ago, “Mars isn’t going anywhere.” Why should we commit hard-pressed budgets for
space exploration when there will always be competing interests? However, as Mercury, Gemini
and Apollo did 50 years ago, our future scientific and technological leadership depends on
exciting creativity in the younger generations. Nothing does this better than manned space
exploration. There is now a national urgency to direct the creative interests of our youth towards
careers in science and engineering. We need to keep the flame of manned space exploration alive
as China, Russia, India, and other countries forge ahead with substantial investments that
challenge U.S. leadership in space.

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