Is the cost- benefit of having a space station worth it?

Question

I am a man of science and as curious as anyone to know what can be done at zero gravity and what is on the moon and mars. But would it not benefit mankind more to spend that money on earthly projects? Especially with our national debt being what it is?

Answer 1

Yes, well, the whole thing is really lacking luster at this point, killing the ISS because of someone´s bankrupting adventures would be the final straw. Remember that this debt, poverty, etc. we have now is our little burden to bear, the ISS and programs like it are what we give our descendants, we owe it to them to continue to explore.
BTW, imagine everything we´d still be ignorant about if people hadnt insisted on fixing Hubble?

Answer 2

When the "space race" initially started it was about politics, and not science - what political system can get us into space and farther into space? A lot of complaints about the cost of the research were made, but in the long run a very surprising result happened - the principal beneficiary of the space exploration programs was the planet Earth itself. The sattelite pictures of weather could forewarn coastlines in advance of an approaching hurricane, and that has saved thousands, if not millions of lives. We can observe changes in ground cover that demonstrate erosion loss or change in vegetation, we can locate lost cities in the desert, we can do all kinds of things that would be impossible without first having been to space. Ultimately we won't know what the benefits of having a space station will be, but that is part of the nature of scientific experimentation - sometimes you get spectacular results and sometimes you don't, but the only way we will know for sure is to do the experiments. It is a bit of a gamble, but one we really ought to take because the benefits may eventually far outweigh the costs.

Answer 3

Fixing a lot of "Earthly projects" are only short term solutions to a long term problem. The problems will always be there regardless of how much money is invested in fixing those problems. So wouldn't it be better to set some money aside ... in order to invest in civilization's future? Having a space station, though it may not seem like it at the moment, will one day be a long term benefit. As the saying goes, patience is a virtue... and one day all of mankind will reap the benefits of space exploration.

Answer 4

YES! The debt is growing because of misappropriations (stealing), by "honest" politicians and mishandling of the bureaucratic paperwork, (PORK PROJECTS). Once you control humanities greed (arrest crooks quickly and set a REAL example of REAL jail time, and spend tax money on REAL projects (no bridges to nowhere) the debt will be gone. Also, stop coddling the people, and hand out less - so people stand up, and not learn how to receive hand outs.

Please stop this false idea.

Getting humans in space will produce so much more mental positive activity, and growth (basically MORALE for humanity) that the cost will be recovered, by tourism, and business activities (taxes). Not to mention the knowledge to be gained. Clearer study of space itself. Room to stretch out our potential as humanity.
Space station, Moon base, onwards!
Man, humanity stuck it's head in the sand - and what happened - all that time and money wasted. Earthly projects and national debt - thanks basic bull_ _ _ _. Humanity should have taken the steps to be there in space these forty years, now were so mired in self doubt, humanities morale is so low.
People are talking about wars again. Humanity has no goal, or purpose, and is set to crumble - because our heart is sad, our communal drive as the greatest creatures on this planet is slipping back into regional rifts and pettiness.
Lets finish the ISS and get back on the Moon, and out there! Revive the drive humanity had!

Answer 5

Yes it definetely is worth it .... because you and me might not see, how many benefits already came out of their research. We or our children will just take advantage of it like you and me do already from other research efforts, which in the past at first glance looked useless.

Example is this platform: It is based on a silicon chip, which is so pure, that its impurities are less than a cube of sugar in a big lake. Only because the silicon was made that pure, the electronic effects take place which make it work as a chip in both our computers. Now: Do you think, the first guy who made such a pure silicon wanted to come out at modern computer industry?

And another point of view I want to add: Meanwhile the cost of the space lab are shared internationally; this in my eyes is a good thing in order not to let your nation pay alone for the benefit of mankind.

Answer 6

Yeah, and just think about the Netherland´s debts!:)
I mean, we could spend the money on new ways of transit, such as a magnetic operative car or something, or we could use it to do a lot of other things.
But I think that's exactly what they're doing..
They're looking for a new way of energy and research in space...
Would it not be nice to have a prison built on the moon and get all major criminals shipped there?:)

Answer 7

is the cost-benefit of any science worth it? Knowledge is gained and then used who knows where that knowledge will be gained. Yes we could use the money to feed the world but it would only feed them in the short term

Answer 8

I think its a red herring meant to distract us from the real problems the government has. If space exploration is so critical, why hasn't the private sector started it yet? Why must we rely on governmental agencies to explore for us?

Answer 9

we need the space station, that's all there is to it