Mars mission worth the cost
There is a fascinating special section included in the Sunday Town Talk talking about mankind's next giant leap -- sending humans to Mars. We hope you take time to read it, as it offers keen insights into how NASA is working to put the first humans on another planet.
The section does a great job at addressing the big question of how we can achieve such a difficult task. But many readers may have a big question as well, namely why should we do this?
After all, space exploration is very costly. Unmanned missions cost billions, and a manned mission to Mars will cost hundreds of billions. Starting a colony on Mars will put the tab into the trillions. How can we justify that kind of expense when our country is facing record deficits?
Wouldn't that money be better spent on providing health care, improving our nation's infrastructure, subsidizing work programs -- something that would yield immediate benefits to citizens right now?
If you are only interested in short-term benefits, then the answer is probably yes. But if you are interested in the long-term picture -- specifically survival of our species -- then we must move forward with efforts to find ways to exist beyond the earth.
And it's not just space junkies like Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, saying we need to take this next step. It's respected scientific experts like Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Bill Nye, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
The reality is, life and our planet are both incredibly fragile. Whether it is the risk of a collision with a giant asteroid, like the one believed to have impacted the earth wiping out the dinosaurs, or the risk of a global catastrophe such as a world-wide epidemic or nuclear annihilation, there are many ways human life as we know it could be wiped out.
But if we have colonies beyond earth, whether it is on Mars or the moon or some other platform, the odds of human survival increase.
There are also many tangible benefits for residents of earth that are derived from the efforts to explore the galaxy. For example, many everyday items we use today are the result of NASA efforts in the Apollo Program to send humans to the moon.
Artificial limbs, baby formula, cell phone cameras, the computer mouse, cordless tools, ear thermometers, long distance communications, solar panels, adjustable smoke detectors, memory foam, and freeze-dried food are just some of the products we use today that are derived from NASA technology.
There have also been numerous advancements in medical care based on lessons learned from space exploration. One example is the famed Hubble telescope. You may recall that when it was first launched, images sent back from Hubble were blurred due to a manufacturing defect on the telescope's mirror. Until the issue could be repaired, scientists developed a computer algorithm that enhanced the images.
Scientists then took that algorithm and adjusted it to X-ray technology and created a better way to detect the early stages of breast cancer. It's hard to imagine what beneficial discoveries will be made as we solve the challenges of getting to and surviving on Mars, but history shows they could be significant.
Yes, space exploration is costly and risky. To date, 18 astronauts have given their lives in the pursuit of space exploration. But, despite the risk and the high financial cost we believe it is in the best interest of humanity -- not just Americans, but all humans -- to continue to push our boundaries and expand beyond earth.