Humanity's desire to explore the stars may not be as futile an effort as we think. Needless to say, going to space is expensive and extremely dangerous. However, few people understand the importance of space exploration to our society. Many of the technologies we take for granted can be traced back to space research. Therefore, given that the positive impacts of space exploration far outweigh its drawbacks, we should encourage and prioritize space travel as an international priority.
As you can imagine, living in space is tough. Many of the simple amenities we take for granted on Earth require years of research and planning to make available to astronauts on long-duration space missions. Consider water filtration as an example. On Earth, filtering water is as simple as pouring water into a filter and letting gravity do its thing. Unfortunately, this process becomes even more difficult in a zero-gravity environment. But how do you achieve this same result in space?
This challenge led NASA to develop microbial check valves. This is a device designed to prevent the transfer of microorganisms in water systems by using iodine to purify the water supply from the shuttle. The technology was compact, lightweight, low-maintenance, reliable, and, most importantly, effective in controlling microorganisms. Since then, MCV has been improved and optimized, but the basic technology continues to be used today. In fact, this technology is especially popular in areas where groundwater supplies are contaminated.
This is not the first time that technology developed by NASA for space travel has been incorporated into our daily lives. Space has become a hotbed of technological development due to its unique and extreme conditions. Functioning in space requires more innovation than on Earth, so it's no surprise that new technologies trickle into our daily lives. Memory foam, wireless headsets, athletic shoes, CAT scanners, scratch-resistant lenses, and camera phones are just a few of the inventions that have resulted from or been significantly advanced as a result of space travel.
Another important byproduct of space exploration is the ability to foster global cooperation. For example, the International Space Station brings together the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada for one common mission. Although each agency is responsible for managing and developing its own hardware, the construction, assembly, maintenance, and operation of the ISS will require everyone's cooperation. This forced the United States to cooperate with and rely on other countries in ways Americans were not accustomed to.
For example, the ISS was launched in 1998. This was less than 10 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and tensions remained between the two countries. However, despite the tensions between the two countries, following the Columbia Space Shuttle tragedy, the United States had to rely on Russia to continue its stay on the ISS. Additionally, after the Space Shuttle program was retired in 2011, NASA relied on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft as its only means of transporting astronauts to and from the ISS until a commercial crew capability was developed in the United States. Ta.
There is no time for earthly politics in space, as space itself looms as a far greater threat. We may identify as Americans or Russians on Earth, but in space we are all united by a common humanity and a common cause of science and research. Space exploration is a beacon for world peace and cooperation. To lose it would be to lose one of the last hopes of unifying humanity on the global front.
Nevertheless, many opponents of space research believe that these efforts are wasteful and waste tax dollars that could be spent on other things. But few people realize how underfunded NASA is. For example, in 2024, NASA was allocated approximately $24.9 billion. Although this sounds like a lot, it is only 0.36% of US spending. In comparison, the United States spends about 12% of its budget on defense, which is equivalent to her $877 billion, or about 36 times the NASA budget. This is more than China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, South Korea, Japan and Ukraine spent on defense combined over the same period.
Under this new perspective, it would be hypocritical to argue that NASA funds would be better spent elsewhere without also acknowledging that other industries are causing far greater disruption to our budgets. Sho. Our government overspends on many other projects besides space exploration.
Reallocating NASA funding to other agencies would have a modest impact. In contrast, if each major aspect of government spending exceeds just 0.5% of the budget, NASA's budget could increase sevenfold. With increased funding, NASA would invest more in the U.S.-led Artemis lunar exploration campaign, strengthen climate science and intelligence, advance U.S. space industry technology development, and support more efficient and greener passenger aircraft. and increase STEM opportunities at minority-serving institutions.
Although the federal budget is unlikely to be reallocated in such a manner, the point remains that NASA's budget is almost insignificant compared to funding for other government programs. He doesn't need to increase NASA's budget seven times to promote the aforementioned projects. And given the added benefits of technology development and global cooperation, this appears to be a more than reasonable expenditure of federal funds.
Additionally, NASA and space exploration can also help inspire younger generations. Who doesn't love space? As a kid, there's nothing like learning about stars, black holes, galaxies, wormholes, and other crazy space phenomena. Learning about space can serve as a gateway for kids to pursue science and other STEM fields.
I myself am an example of this. Space has been a huge inspiration to me and determined my career path. If it weren't for space, I wouldn't be studying aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan. My mission in life is to explore the universe and discover the unknown, and not just for the benefit of it. Technical issues aside, I think space is truly amazing.
Human nature is to explore. America itself is a product of human exploration, an answer to the question “What else is out there?” Giving up on space exploration means giving up on what makes us human.
Sam Wit is an opinion columnist. Contact him at samwit@umich.edu..
