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<blockquote data-quote="Slo_Ride" data-source="post: 8686774" data-attributes="member: 563830"><p>To&nbsp; a&nbsp; great&nbsp; extent,&nbsp; the&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; from&nbsp; space&nbsp; exploration&nbsp; are&nbsp; rooted&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; generation&nbsp; of new&nbsp; knowledge,&nbsp; which&nbsp; is&nbsp; the&nbsp; first&nbsp; reward&nbsp; and&nbsp; which&nbsp; has&nbsp; inherent&nbsp; value&nbsp; to&nbsp; humankind. Technological&nbsp; knowledge,&nbsp; generated&nbsp; when&nbsp; high‐performance&nbsp; space&nbsp; systems&nbsp; are developed&nbsp; to&nbsp; address&nbsp; the&nbsp; extreme&nbsp; challenges&nbsp; of&nbsp; space&nbsp; missions,&nbsp; yields&nbsp; many&nbsp; innovations that&nbsp; benefit&nbsp; the&nbsp; public.&nbsp; Scientific&nbsp; knowledge&nbsp; acquired&nbsp; from&nbsp; space&nbsp; expands&nbsp; humankind&#039;s understanding&nbsp; of&nbsp; nature&nbsp; and&nbsp; frequently&nbsp; unlocks&nbsp; creative&nbsp; and&nbsp; useful&nbsp; Earth‐based applications&nbsp; for&nbsp; society.&nbsp; In&nbsp; the&nbsp; longer&nbsp; term,&nbsp; the&nbsp; knowledge&nbsp; accumulated&nbsp; over&nbsp; many missions&nbsp; and&nbsp; the&nbsp; expansion&nbsp; of&nbsp; human&nbsp; presence&nbsp; into&nbsp; the&nbsp; Solar&nbsp; System&nbsp; help&nbsp; people&nbsp; gain perspective&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; fragility&nbsp; and&nbsp; rarity&nbsp; of&nbsp; life&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; Universe&nbsp; and&nbsp; on&nbsp; humankind&#039;s accomplishments,&nbsp; potential,&nbsp; and&nbsp; destiny. Space&nbsp; exploration&nbsp; stimulates&nbsp; the&nbsp; creation&nbsp; of&nbsp; both&nbsp; tangible&nbsp; and&nbsp; intangible&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; for humanity.&nbsp; Tangible&nbsp; impacts&nbsp; include&nbsp; all&nbsp; the&nbsp; innovation‐related&nbsp; applications&nbsp; and&nbsp; benefits resulting&nbsp; from&nbsp; investments&nbsp; in&nbsp; these&nbsp; programmes,&nbsp; such&nbsp; as&nbsp; new&nbsp; devices&nbsp; and&nbsp; services&nbsp; that spin&nbsp; off&nbsp; into&nbsp; the&nbsp; marketplace.&nbsp; In&nbsp; addition,&nbsp; space&nbsp; exploration&nbsp; leads&nbsp; to&nbsp; advances&nbsp; in&nbsp; science and&nbsp; technology,&nbsp; and&nbsp; furthers&nbsp; workforce&nbsp; development&nbsp; and&nbsp; industrial&nbsp; capabilities,&nbsp; thus leading&nbsp; to&nbsp; an&nbsp; overall&nbsp; stimulation&nbsp; of&nbsp; private&nbsp; companies&nbsp; and&nbsp; industries,&nbsp; all&nbsp; of&nbsp; which contributes&nbsp; significantly&nbsp; to&nbsp; the&nbsp; economic&nbsp; progress&nbsp; of&nbsp; space‐faring&nbsp; nations.&nbsp; Space exploration&nbsp; is&nbsp; also&nbsp; known&nbsp; to&nbsp; attract&nbsp; young&nbsp; people&nbsp; into&nbsp; careers&nbsp; in&nbsp; science&nbsp; and&nbsp; technology to&nbsp; the&nbsp; general&nbsp; benefit&nbsp; of&nbsp; society&nbsp; and&nbsp; the&nbsp; economy.&nbsp; Space&nbsp; exploration also&nbsp; results&nbsp; in&nbsp; various&nbsp; intangible&nbsp; impacts&nbsp; due&nbsp; to&nbsp; the&nbsp; social&nbsp; and&nbsp; philosophical&nbsp; dimensions that&nbsp; address&nbsp; the&nbsp; nature&nbsp; and&nbsp; meaning&nbsp; of&nbsp; human&nbsp; life.&nbsp; Intangible&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; include&nbsp; the enriching&nbsp; of&nbsp; culture,&nbsp; the&nbsp; inspiration&nbsp; of&nbsp; citizens,&nbsp; and&nbsp; the&nbsp; building&nbsp; of&nbsp; mutual&nbsp; understanding as&nbsp; a&nbsp; result&nbsp; of&nbsp; international&nbsp; cooperation&nbsp; among&nbsp; space‐faring&nbsp; nations. The&nbsp; fundamental&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; generated&nbsp; by&nbsp; space&nbsp; exploration&nbsp; are&nbsp; grouped&nbsp; in&nbsp; this&nbsp; document as&nbsp; follows:&nbsp; innovation;&nbsp; culture&nbsp; and&nbsp; inspiration;&nbsp; and&nbsp; new&nbsp; means&nbsp; to&nbsp; address&nbsp; global challenges.&nbsp; The&nbsp; delivery&nbsp; of&nbsp; these&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; to&nbsp; society&nbsp; provides&nbsp; the&nbsp; main&nbsp; rationale&nbsp; for investment&nbsp; in&nbsp; space&nbsp; exploration.&nbsp; An&nbsp; illustration&nbsp; on&nbsp; how&nbsp; these&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; are&nbsp; delivered&nbsp; by space&nbsp; agencies&nbsp; is&nbsp; given&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; box&nbsp; below. Space&nbsp; exploration’s&nbsp; capacity&nbsp; to&nbsp; continue&nbsp; delivering&nbsp; significant&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; to&nbsp; humanity&nbsp; was recognized&nbsp; by&nbsp; high‐level&nbsp; government&nbsp; representatives&nbsp; from&nbsp; around&nbsp; the&nbsp; world&nbsp; when&nbsp; they convened&nbsp; in&nbsp; Lucca,&nbsp; Italy,&nbsp; in&nbsp; November&nbsp; 2011.&nbsp; They&nbsp; concluded&nbsp; that&nbsp; space&nbsp; exploration provides:&nbsp; unprecedented&nbsp; opportunities&nbsp; to&nbsp; deliver&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; to&nbsp; humanity&nbsp; on&nbsp; Earth&nbsp; …&nbsp; These benefits include fuelling future discoveries; addressing global challenges in space and on Earth through the use of innovative technology; creating global partnerships by sharing challenging and peaceful goals; inspiring society and especially the younger generations through collective and individual efforts; and enabling economic expansion and new business opportunities. Overcoming&nbsp; the&nbsp; challenges&nbsp; of&nbsp; working&nbsp; in&nbsp; space&nbsp; has&nbsp; led&nbsp; to&nbsp; many&nbsp; technological&nbsp; and&nbsp; scientific advances&nbsp; that&nbsp; have&nbsp; provided&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; to&nbsp; society&nbsp; on&nbsp; Earth&nbsp; in&nbsp; areas&nbsp; including&nbsp; health&nbsp; and medicine,&nbsp; transportation,&nbsp; public&nbsp; safety,&nbsp; consumer&nbsp; goods,&nbsp; energy&nbsp; and&nbsp; environment,&nbsp; information technology,&nbsp; and&nbsp; industrial&nbsp; productivity.&nbsp; The&nbsp; wider&nbsp; list&nbsp; of&nbsp; technological benefits&nbsp; encompasses&nbsp; improved solar&nbsp; panels,&nbsp; implantable&nbsp; heart monitors,&nbsp; light‐based&nbsp; anti‐cancer therapy,&nbsp; cordless&nbsp; tools,&nbsp; light‐ weight&nbsp; high‐temperature&nbsp; alloys used&nbsp; in&nbsp; jet&nbsp; engine&nbsp; turbines, cameras&nbsp; found&nbsp; in&nbsp; today&#039;s&nbsp; cell phones, compact purification systems, waterglobal search‐and‐rescue&nbsp; systems&nbsp; and biomedical&nbsp; technologies. People&nbsp; often&nbsp; ask,&nbsp; If&nbsp; you&nbsp; like&nbsp; spin‐off&nbsp; products,&nbsp; why&nbsp; not&nbsp; just invest&nbsp; in&nbsp; those&nbsp; technologies&nbsp; straightaway,&nbsp; instead&nbsp; of waiting&nbsp; for&nbsp; them&nbsp; to&nbsp; happen&nbsp; as&nbsp; spin‐offs?&nbsp; The&nbsp; answer:&nbsp; it&nbsp; just doesn&#039;t&nbsp; work&nbsp; that&nbsp; way.&nbsp; Let&#039;s&nbsp; say&nbsp; you’re&nbsp; a&nbsp; thermodynamicist, the&nbsp; world&#039;s&nbsp; expert&nbsp; on&nbsp; heat,&nbsp; and&nbsp; I&nbsp; ask&nbsp; you&nbsp; to&nbsp; build&nbsp; me&nbsp; a better&nbsp; oven.&nbsp; You&nbsp; might&nbsp; invent&nbsp; a&nbsp; convection&nbsp; oven,&nbsp; or&nbsp; an&nbsp; oven that’s&nbsp; more&nbsp; insulated&nbsp; or&nbsp; that&nbsp; permits&nbsp; easier&nbsp; access&nbsp; to&nbsp; its contents.&nbsp; But&nbsp; no&nbsp; matter&nbsp; how&nbsp; much&nbsp; money&nbsp; I&nbsp; give&nbsp; you,&nbsp; you will&nbsp; not&nbsp; invent&nbsp; a&nbsp; microwave&nbsp; oven.&nbsp; Because&nbsp; that&nbsp; came&nbsp; from another place. It came&nbsp; from&nbsp; investments&nbsp; in communications,&nbsp; in&nbsp; radar.&nbsp; The&nbsp; microwave&nbsp; oven&nbsp; is&nbsp; traceable to&nbsp; the&nbsp; war&nbsp; effort,&nbsp; not&nbsp; to&nbsp; a&nbsp; thermodynamicist. Neil&nbsp; deGrasse&nbsp; Tyson,&nbsp; Space&nbsp; Chronicles,&nbsp; W.W.Norton&nbsp; &amp;&nbsp; Company, 2012,&nbsp; p.210. Scientific&nbsp; research&nbsp; founded&nbsp; on data&nbsp; from&nbsp; space&nbsp; is&nbsp; also&nbsp; leading&nbsp; to discoveries&nbsp; with&nbsp; benefits&nbsp; for&nbsp; life on&nbsp; Earth.&nbsp; Ongoing&nbsp; research&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; space&nbsp; environment&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; ISS&nbsp; –&nbsp; in&nbsp; areas&nbsp; such&nbsp; as&nbsp; human physiology,&nbsp; plant&nbsp; biology,&nbsp; materials&nbsp; science,&nbsp; and&nbsp; fundamental&nbsp; physics&nbsp; –&nbsp; continues&nbsp; to&nbsp; yield insights&nbsp; that&nbsp; benefit&nbsp; society.&nbsp; For&nbsp; example,&nbsp; studies&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; human&nbsp; body’s&nbsp; response&nbsp; to&nbsp; extended periods&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; microgravity&nbsp; environment&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; ISS&nbsp; are&nbsp; improving&nbsp; our&nbsp; understanding&nbsp; of&nbsp; the aging&nbsp; process.&nbsp; Fundamental&nbsp; scientific&nbsp; studies&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; Martian&nbsp; environment,&nbsp; its&nbsp; evolution&nbsp; and current&nbsp; state&nbsp; represent&nbsp; important&nbsp; benchmarks&nbsp; of&nbsp; terrestrial&nbsp; planetary&nbsp; evolution,&nbsp; and&nbsp; hence, provide&nbsp; a&nbsp; model&nbsp; that&nbsp; some&nbsp; scientists&nbsp; believe&nbsp; will&nbsp; aid&nbsp; our&nbsp; growing&nbsp; understanding&nbsp; of&nbsp; climate change&nbsp; processes&nbsp; on&nbsp; Earth.</p></blockquote><p></p>

[QUOTE="Slo_Ride, post: 8686774, member: 563830"] To a great extent, the benefits from space exploration are rooted in the generation of new knowledge, which is the first reward and which has inherent value to humankind. Technological knowledge, generated when high‐performance space systems are developed to address the extreme challenges of space missions, yields many innovations that benefit the public. Scientific knowledge acquired from space expands humankind's understanding of nature and frequently unlocks creative and useful Earth‐based applications for society. In the longer term, the knowledge accumulated over many missions and the expansion of human presence into the Solar System help people gain perspective on the fragility and rarity of life in the Universe and on humankind's accomplishments, potential, and destiny. Space exploration stimulates the creation of both tangible and intangible benefits for humanity. Tangible impacts include all the innovation‐related applications and benefits resulting from investments in these programmes, such as new devices and services that spin off into the marketplace. In addition, space exploration leads to advances in science and technology, and furthers workforce development and industrial capabilities, thus leading to an overall stimulation of private companies and industries, all of which contributes significantly to the economic progress of space‐faring nations. Space exploration is also known to attract young people into careers in science and technology to the general benefit of society and the economy. Space exploration also results in various intangible impacts due to the social and philosophical dimensions that address the nature and meaning of human life. Intangible benefits include the enriching of culture, the inspiration of citizens, and the building of mutual understanding as a result of international cooperation among space‐faring nations. The fundamental benefits generated by space exploration are grouped in this document as follows: innovation; culture and inspiration; and new means to address global challenges. The delivery of these benefits to society provides the main rationale for investment in space exploration. An illustration on how these benefits are delivered by space agencies is given in the box below. Space exploration’s capacity to continue delivering significant benefits to humanity was recognized by high‐level government representatives from around the world when they convened in Lucca, Italy, in November 2011. They concluded that space exploration provides: unprecedented opportunities to deliver benefits to humanity on Earth … These benefits include fuelling future discoveries; addressing global challenges in space and on Earth through the use of innovative technology; creating global partnerships by sharing challenging and peaceful goals; inspiring society and especially the younger generations through collective and individual efforts; and enabling economic expansion and new business opportunities. Overcoming the challenges of working in space has led to many technological and scientific advances that have provided benefits to society on Earth in areas including health and medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy and environment, information technology, and industrial productivity. The wider list of technological benefits encompasses improved solar panels, implantable heart monitors, light‐based anti‐cancer therapy, cordless tools, light‐ weight high‐temperature alloys used in jet engine turbines, cameras found in today's cell phones, compact purification systems, waterglobal search‐and‐rescue systems and biomedical technologies. People often ask, If you like spin‐off products, why not just invest in those technologies straightaway, instead of waiting for them to happen as spin‐offs? The answer: it just doesn't work that way. Let's say you’re a thermodynamicist, the world's expert on heat, and I ask you to build me a better oven. You might invent a convection oven, or an oven that’s more insulated or that permits easier access to its contents. But no matter how much money I give you, you will not invent a microwave oven. Because that came from another place. It came from investments in communications, in radar. The microwave oven is traceable to the war effort, not to a thermodynamicist. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Space Chronicles, W.W.Norton & Company, 2012, p.210. Scientific research founded on data from space is also leading to discoveries with benefits for life on Earth. Ongoing research in the space environment of the ISS – in areas such as human physiology, plant biology, materials science, and fundamental physics – continues to yield insights that benefit society. For example, studies of the human body’s response to extended periods in the microgravity environment of the ISS are improving our understanding of the aging process. Fundamental scientific studies of the Martian environment, its evolution and current state represent important benchmarks of terrestrial planetary evolution, and hence, provide a model that some scientists believe will aid our growing understanding of climate change processes on Earth. [/QUOTE]

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