Is Space Exploration Worth It?

You’ve probably heard the argument: Space exploration isn’t worth the cost. It takes resources away from vital needs here on Earth. So, is it true?

How do we benefit from investment in space exploration? Probably in more ways than you think.

Let’s start with a pretty basic one: Ensuring that Earth is protected from planet-killing asteroids. NASA’s work on detecting those threats is an essential element of protecting the planet from existential risk.

Our space program also protects us from adversaries here on Earth. The intelligence community reports that the combined Chinese and Russian space fleets grew by 70% just between 2019 and 2021. Part of the reason: Because China sees the ability to disable American satellites as a way to shut down our use of precision weapons.

Investing in space exploration has also produced exciting technologies for use on Earth. NASA is a big part of why we have the cameras and GPS systems in our cell phones. Their technology is central to CAT scans and the methods we use to de-ice planes. The tech involved in heart transplants, cochlear implants, and artificial limbs? From NASA. Enriched baby formula? From NASA. The tech we use to clean up oil spills? NASA.

So, is it worth the cost? Actually, those benefits cost less than is commonly imagined. NASA takes up less than one half of one percent of the federal budget. In fact, we spend more than 15 times as much just on interest payments for the national debt.

Bottom line: We don’t go to space as a hobby. We go as an investment in our safety, in our technology, and in our future.

📝 SCRIPT
🎁 BONUS CONTENT
📚 SOURCES
⚡️AND MORE...
www.kiteandkeymedia.com

Sound | Artlist: “Rock Your Body” (FASSounds), “Ticketless” (Francesco D’Andrea), “When the Sunrise” (Yehezkel), “Wireless Connections” (Evgeny Bardyuzha), “Still Need Syndrome” (Yarin Primak), “Bytes” (Sineyourlifeaway), SFX Library // Premium Beat: “Yankee Doodle Dandy (Tin Whistle)” (Dominik Schwarzer)

Footage | NASA: JFK Library: NASA // Space Archive: Apollo 13 Transmission (1970) // Apollo Flight Journal: NASA via Stephen Slater // Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs: Alejandro Pena // NASA: Neil Armstrong, Goddard / University of Arizona, ESA / NOIRLab, NSF / AURA / M.H. Wong and I. de Pater (UC Berkeley) et al., Kennedy Space Center, Johnson Space Center, Jet Propulsion Labratory, HQ, Blausen Medical Communication Inc., Stephen Slater, Peter Rubin // U.S. Coast Guard: John Roberts USCG // Department of Defense // National Park Service // BBC // Space.com // San Diego Union Tribune // Archive.org: Television Tomorrow (1945) // CBS Productions: Gunsmoke (1967) // Baldwin Locomotive Works // U.S. National Archives & Records Administration: Rowland Sherman, U.S. Food Administration // Yale Center for British Art: James Pollard // Rijksmuseum: Robert Jacob Gordon // The Royal Society: Debbie Rowe // Getty: Car Court / Staff, Kurt Hutton / Stringer, Bill Ingalls / NASA / Handout, NASA / Handout, Anna Sargeeva / Stringer, Man_Half-tube, Paul Morigi /Stringer, Joe Raedle / Staff, Hulton Archive / Stringer, Pool / Pool, Drew Angerer / Staff, Kevork Djansezian / Stringer, Michael Staff / Staff, SteveColeImages, Narvikk, Tim Paulawitz, Circotasu, Science Photo Library, Ianm35, Bettmann / Contributor, Heritage Images / Stringer, Koh Sze Kiat // Flickr: Project Apollo Archive, Jiugang Wang, NASA Kennedy, Jarl Naustvik, West Midlands Police, NASA on the Commons, Uri Tours // Adobe Stock: Prapann, Fotofabrika, Railwayfx, Studio-FI, Геннадий Кулиненко, Norikko, Lukszcezepanski, Sdecoret, King God, Naranat Studio, Tostphoto, Marina // Pexels: SpaceX, RODNAE Productions, Pixabay, Nicole Avagliano, Hristo Fidanov, Phillippe Donn, Soulful Pizza, Craig Adderly, João Vítor Heinrichs, Everdeen Li, Alex Andrews, Abet Llacer, Mike B., Cottonbro // Storyblocks: Oles Ischuk, Dapoopta, SpaceStockFootage, Berkerdag, Eternal, Icetray, Embarafootage // Unsplash: Sidekix Media // Pixabay: Clker-Free-Vector-Images // Twitter: @sussyamongus // Amazon: Wee Blue Coo Store // The Cave Boy of the Age of Stone by Margaret A. McIntyre: Irma Deremeaux // Engineers Club Dayton: Martel Art // Russia // Senate of Berlin // Servier Medical Art // The People’s Republic of China // Gary Todd // Dmitry A. Mottl // Corrine Launay // Hear hear! // Mr. Kjetil Ree // Stefan Fussan // Ralph Roletschek // Ralph X. Williams III // CITED SOURCES AND NEWS OUTLETS ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH AND HAVE NOT ENDORSED OR SPONSORED ANY PORTION OF THIS PRODUCTION // THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION “NASA” HAS NOT SPONSORED OR ENDORSED THIS VIDEO OR ANY OF ITS CONTENTS.