- Thread Starter
- #5,371
Space exploration has produced an impressive record of benefits for humanity. This paper has distilled a body of evidence of such benefits into a few key observations about the capacity of future space exploration to contribute to innovation, culture and inspiration, and new means to address global challenges. Space exploration has driven scientific and technological innovation that benefits people around the globe every day. Sending humans and machines into space presents challenges that are overcome only by the utmost ingenuity; this leads to new knowledge and technical innovations that are used on Earth in ways that can be dramatic and unpredictable. Space exploration serves a cultural and inspirational purpose by fulfilling a deep need to understand the world, address questions about the origins of life and the nature of the Universe, and to expand the notion of what it means to be human. Because space exploration stimulates significant global investment and international partnerships, and because of its extremely challenging nature, demands the development of cutting edge technical capabilities, it provides unique opportunities to address some of the global challenges facing society today. When nations work together on challenging space missions, this promotes international cooperation beyond the realm of space. It aligns interests and forges relationships that further peace and stability on Earth. There is no activity on Earth that matches the unique challenges of space exploration. The first fifty years of space activity have generated benefits for people around the globe. This past record gives strong reason for confidence that renewed investments in space exploration will have similarly positive impacts for future generations.
