what are the benefits of continued tax-funded space exploration?

Question

the government funnels billions of dollars into NASA every year. much of that money goes toward exploring the solar system, our galaxy, and the universe, searching for forms of intelligent life. I must ask, what are the benefits of this continued exploration? Does it really matter if there is intelligence elsewhere than earth? Couldn't that money be used better elsewhere, like all those poverty programs that some congressmen support, or funding Medicare or Social Security?

the only benefit I can see of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the confirmation of evolution; which supposedly is already a fact. If, to the scientists who believe macro-evolution as a fact, why do they insist on scouring the universe for signs of evolved life, wasting our taxes?

thddspc: thank you for mentioning the budget for NASA this year. however, you avoided the topic and threw in a red herring, the iraq war. could you please answer my question? thanks.

my question wasn't clear enough: what are the benefits of the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, or SETI?

Answer 1

I think you are making a false assumption when you say that we are exploring space in order to find intelligent life. The benefits of space travel are not in the chances of contacting other beings, but rather in improving the quality of life and sustainability of our existence in the long run.

Our space mission thus far has brought us thousands of inventions which we use in our everyday life, including the satellites that deliver television and internet into millions of homes. With continued funded exploration, we can improve upon those things which the space program currently gives us and allow the development of even more technologies for practical uses here on Earth.

But even more so, in the long run, think about the human situation: Our population is doubling every few decades, we are nearly at the peak of our planet's ability to sustain us as it is, and people are living longer. Humans may not populate other planets or moons within the next 50 years, but think about 100 or 200 years down the line. Funding social welfare programs is only a very short term solution and if we take this approach, then we may never be able to live elsewhere than this planet and humans will be at the mercy of this planet and its rapidly changing environment indefinitely. Where will we grow the food to feed 50 billion people? Earth can't supply that much food, at least not without rapid advances in technology that would undoubtedly be aided by research done during space missions.

As for wasting our taxes, the only program that was being funded with tax payer money to find extraterrestrial intelligence of an evolved nature is SETI, which only receives $4 million every year from NASA, which was about 0.024% of NASA's overall budget for 2006

Answer 2

NASA's budget for 2007 was around 18 billion dollars, that's $18,000,000,000. (11 figures.)

The total U.S. budget for 2007 was 3.2 trillion dollars, that's $3,200,000,000,000. (13 figures)

Do the math. NASA's 2007 budget is less than 0.7% of the total national 2007 budget.

Not even one percent.

For that price (chump change compared to the national budget) the United States is very well served by all the research and knowledge gained by NASA's programs such as the Mars Rover Missions, Cassini-Huygens, Hubble, Spitzer, SOHO, etc.

And for that paltry sum, if you can answer the question "Are we alone in the universe," it would be money well spent. What if you do find intelligent life with technology more advanced than our own? Maybe they can show us things we don't know yet. Such technology transfers would surely be worth far more than the less than 1% of our national budget AND MAKE FOR A VERY NICE RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT.

If one wants to cut government waste, how about the $30 billion wasted so far on no-bid contracts awarded to Halliburton in the Iraq war? That alone is almost twice the amount budgeted to NASA. Imagine all the atrocious waste like that one in the 3.2 trillion budget that could have done much more towards solving all those other problems you mentioned rather than canning just NASA's budget.

By the way, SETI is not a taxpayer-funded program. Congress terminated NASA funding for participating in SETI back in 1992. Since then SETI has always been privatedly funded.

Answer 3

the focus of scientist minds on a subject generally provides results in other areas, one would have to say that what you typed on would not be the size it is if it wasn't for the space programme. Or your T.V. dinner would have taken 45Min's to cook.
We could then start moving into the realms of your economy and how the government will provide continuing employment in a stagnating economy much like the European country's have suffered over the last 50yrs.

Balancing a dynamic economy and a socialist style supportive economy brings many problems but one would suggest that you should look at say the U.K. economy from the end of the empire and the start of the social style reforms introduced in the 50's and there effect up until its direction change in the mid 80's when capitalist style government became the excepted. until present day where the death and destruction of scientific research has left both the U.K. and Europe lagging behind in important areas.

Answer 4

NASA also does a lot of research on treatments and medicines for diseases in space. Medical companies pay for this research to be done. I don't know why the research is done in space, but i'm sure the Medicine companies wouldn't pay a billion dollars for research that is unnecessary.

Plus, there is an energy source on the moon called helium -2, it is a great energy source and it would cure our energy problem on Earth. To learn more about this energy, you should read 'Back to the Moon' by Homer Hickam. Though the book is fictional, the energy source is based on fact.

Hope I helped!

Well, in answer to that, I would say, that there are only a few reasons why it would be important to fund these programs:

- If we found another civilization, we could learn from them:
- If they had found how to travel at the speed of light
that would be cool
- If they found the cure for all diseases, that would be
cool

Thats all I can think of.

It is probably a waste of time and money to fund THOSE programs, but I don't find it a waste to fund programs like going to the moon and such.

Good question. Got me thinking!

Answer 5

Well because there testing new atmosphere recycling technology on board the space station and on the space shuttle, because they know the truth that the environment has had it humanity is at the end of the rope, it's to late for environmental awareness but they will tell you that you can still make a difference by recycling your pop bottles and cans and by driving Eco-cars and hybrid vehicles but the truth is it's a lie to keep the wool over your eye's, just think when your riding your bike to work with your super sun block and your oxygen pack on your back watching people being mugged for there oxygen minutes on the government breathing stations all around the city maybe you will think that space developed technologies was worth it.

Answer 6

The anti-sciene types always try to conceal their ignorance by whining about the need for "helping the less fortunate."

While conveniently ignoring the tens of thosands o f lives that weather satellites have saved. The economic benefits of communications satellites, of computers--they couldn't make their stupid commoents on the Internet without the technology developed by the space program.

They ignore the thoousands of lives saved every year by advanced medical technology created by NASA--and the tens of thousands who die every year for lack of medicines we don't have because of budget cuts by the Repbulican Congress over the last dozen years.

Science--of whatever sort--is beyond their narrow-minded comprenension. They have no understanding of the fact that the technology that gives them a comfortable life--and a lifespan double what it was 150 years ago--didn't come out of a majic hat--or a "prayer meeting"--it STARTS with the basic science they sneer at because the have less understanding of it than a chimp does of mathematics.

Fortunately, they--and their ilk--will soon be out of power and America can begin to rebuild the scientific and technological capability they've spent the last 12 years trying to destroy.

Answer 7

we would desire to continuously proceed to realize this. at last we are able to expire of organic ingredients. whilst that element comes we extra suitable have already got yet another planet to reap or we are going to be notably f*cked.