Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

In response to a post about new things found in the oceans, I proposed we waste money looking for deep-space answers that will never have any significant use for mankind as a whole while shorting money that could be used for research that could have an immediate impact on our health and well-being. As I said before, I'm not opposed to space research but it needs to be limited for the most part to near-space exploration.

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid_overview?fbclid=IwAR32R4gl-SGGB3PqlQdXsG9pA7k1iLBUrAn-uyPOSqNxdu37qfZuseHpdcU

FredCM Loc: Central Illinois

Deep space exploration looks for an answer to David Byrne's question: "Well, how did we get here?" It also seeks an answer to dark matter and dark energy. No one knows, these 2 might have a huge impact on human civilization.

pendennis

Research, for the sake of research, will lead us to where the answers are, and they don't necessarily yield short-term results. And there's an adage out there which states - Looking directly for solutions to problems, may never yield the answers one seeks. History is replete with scientific research which yielded nothing immediately. For instance, until the invention of the x-ray, Charles Darwin's theories on evolution, along with those of Mendel, sat on the shelf, waiting to be proven.

Until Edwin Hubble found that the universe is expanding, and at an increasing rate of speed, most scientists thought that the universe was static. Einstein proved that gravity affected the path of light, something that had to wait for confirmation because of the Great War.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Research has also provided unexpected innovations.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Don't set limits --
We may not be the only lifeform that can ask WHY? --
But as far as I can tell we are the only ones who have found ways to locate some of the answers

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Who cares about where we came from in light of the fact we are here now and we have problems? When we have done all we can to cure cancer, and other diseases, global warming, the end of fossil fuels (and I mean that these fuels are finite and will one day cease to exist), nuclear proliferation, clean water, mercury-free fish, plastic islands forming in the oceans, and a dozen other problems, then we can turn to space and seek answers that might be significant for the future. We need to take care of what is in front of us now rather than look so far into the future that it will not impact even the next ten or twenty generations.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile....

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

Careful, you gona get this put in the 'attic' section. And to help it along, your vision is a little short my friend.

pendennis

The answers to problem-solving here on earth have already come from the stars. We already have a number of solutions to so-called intractable problems. Nuclear energy is clean and safe, and the stars will help us solve the problems with making fusion practicable. After all, stars are just huge fusion "machines" at their core. Compression and ultimate fusion of hydrogen atoms eventually yields helium, which yields lithium, etc.

Fossil fuels are not as "finite" as once believed; and they're continuously produced, contrary to popular belief. Space exploration, even at the orbital and lunar levels yielded countless solutions to what were unsolvable problems at the time. In 1947, the so-called "sound barrier" turned out not to be so much of a barrier after all. Engineers and scientists went back to drawing boards after near-catastrophic failures and came up with solutions which enabled modern jet flight.

You should read a book by Matt Ridley, "The Evolution of Everything - How New Ideas Emerge". There's also another, older book by Professor James Burke, "Connections". It was originally a PBS series, and there's a sequel, "The Day The Universe Changed". Both authors show connections to what were believed to be isolated events, but were actually chain links in scientific, engineering and manufacturing evolution.

Triple G

Thanks for the recommendations. Right up my alley for vacation reading.

tgreenhaw

As a species, our science has yet to properly explain some of the most basic fundamental aspects of our reality, e.g. what exactly is space and gravity.

Studying deep space objects is helping us discover the properties of these critical aspects of our existence. Our observations of deep space has shown that our understanding is far from full, e.g. most of the universe is made of dark matter that we have yet to detect implying that we're missing something very important.

Ignoring the obvious philosophical importance, a greater understanding of physics will allow us to solve our energy problems. We know that vast amounts of energy are locked in matter and if we can gain a proper understanding of its properties we can engineer machines that allow us to safely unlock all the energy mankind requires. We could desalinate water and remove CO2 from the air, just to name a few problems that threaten humanity's existence.

From a photographer's point of view, ask yourself why we spend money on equipment to take pictures. We like to record the things we see to augment our memory and share the beauty we experience with others. Cameras like the Hubble and James Webb telescopes not only serve us to expand our useful body of scientific knowledge, they allow us to see the majestic beauty of our universe.

Yes, we could use that money to solve a bit of our earthly problems, but I and many others argue that we can and must afford to do both.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

How would we even know it's "deep" if we didn't explore it?

photon-collector Loc: Tampa Bay Area, Florida

This seems a bit like the old complaint, "why did we spend so much money to put men on the moon." Well, very little actual material resource was used. The real cost of the program was to employ scientists, technicians, factory workers, chemists and other AMERICAN support people who built the program. It put food on tables, sent kids to college, payed for braces, and provided medical benefits to thousands of Americans. The actual value of the "stuff" sent into space was negligible....as it is today with deep-space exploration. Space exploration created advances in health and medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy and environment, information technology, and industrial productivity. It also required and produced rapid improvements and advances in many fields, including telecommunications, micro-technology, computer science, solar power, GPS, and the invention of the microwave. Practicing science is often expensive. Is it worth it? I, for one, think that it is!

clemente21

Space exploration has contributed to a number of things you presently enjoy.
https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/about/everyday-benefits-of-space-exploration/
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/value-of-nasa/

However, none of this would have been possible if Leonard Euler back in the 1700 would not have come up with mathematics for orbital mechanics. Even things like the GPS you have in your car would not be as precise without Einstein’s relativity equations written in the early 1900’s, because according to these gravity affects time.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/a-new-clock-shows-how-gravity-warps-time-even-over-tiny-distances

My point is that we might not live to see the contributions of deep space exploration. But the knowledge gained might help with future endeavors we can only imagine. Besides, NASA’s share of the total US spending in 2023 was expected to be .3% compared to around 19% of the defense and 27% of healthcare.
https://www.usaspending.gov/explorer/agency

I’d say it is worth it.
And thanks for sharing the link. Didn’t know about Euclid. I’ll keep an eye on the project.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

I agree. Pure research, with no goal in mind, provided all the information on nuclear fission that was used to create the atomic bomb well ahead of the Germans. Admittedly the ultimate Pandora's Box but historians agree it ended the war by at least two years if we had to invade Japan, saving over a million American lives and many times that in Japanese lives. The military spends the entire NASA budget, something like every 7 days. Which, do you suppose, has given us more beneficial spin offs as unforeseen results?