can the cost of space exploration be justified?
Yes, absolutely it can. i know that some might argue that if we are spending public taxes on scientific research, then why don’t we focus it on more immediate challenges such as tackling climate change, or antimicrobial resistance, or finding cures for cancer and so on. people seem to think that space missions are a luxury, but i would come at it from a different direction.
Firstly, many space exploration missions in the future will be privately funded or a collaborative effort between many countries. Secondly, i would suggest we compare how much it costs to fund a space mission with how much many countries spend on defence. in any case, this is more than just curiosity-driven blue-sky research. Space missions help us develop new technologies that then get used in so many unexpected ways.
For me as a scientist, space exploration is about answering some of the deepest questions, such as whether there is life elsewhere in the universe. if we stop seeking answers to questions such as this then that takes away from our very humanity. Jim Al-Khalili is a popular science communicator and professor of physics at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom