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Asked by Sabrina to Col Op, Elie, Floris, Jenn, RocketRich on 7 Mar 2016.
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Richard Moss answered on 7 Mar 2016:
It is true the space business is expensive. However, we are moving society forward by answering fundamental questions about our future.
As a species we are driven by exploration and space travel captures the interest of everyone, exactly as your school is doing today.
And all the money ends up in the salary of engineers and scientists, who pay tax, buy food, send their children to school, etc. So it all circulates back into the economy anyway.
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Elie Allouis answered on 7 Mar 2016:
Investment in Space always appears expensive,… and it is, but we have few points of comparison.
To give an example, the whole ExoMars mission that will look for life on Mars while developing a range of cutting edge technologies, (including launchers operations, autonomous rover, instruments and so on…), has the same cost as the combined cost of a five-mile stretch of elevated road in Glasgow and a 1.2 mile tunnel on the A3 in the South.
Hmmm… heard of these?Spending money on space research enables the development of a lot of technologies that can have a big impact on Earth. For example, because of mass constraints, scientific instruments need to be made lighter and smarter. These can directly find application on Earth in the lab and in the field…
Similarly, space robotics that need to be made resistant to space radiations could find application in the dismantling of nuclear facilities.
Finally, it provides a focus for people to study, develop some new skills and work in the field, potentially applying the experience to other field to make things safer, lighter, more robust or smarter… 🙂
All in all you are getting a lot for the initial investment…
…and I am still not getting excited by that bit of road…
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