• Question: With all the problems and poverty in the world, why do you feel it’s important to spend money on space travel?

    Asked by Jeswin to Tom, Jon, COLFlight, Beth, Anne on 4 Oct 2015. This question was also asked by oluchi40.
    • Photo: Columbus Flight Directors

      Columbus Flight Directors answered on 4 Oct 2015:

      Sergio:
      Hi Jeswin, this is a question we get quite often.
      Did you know that space travel costs to you and to each of us only about 2-3 Pounds per year?
      With that very small amount of money, a lot of scientific research is done and new technologies are developed that not only will help to travel in space, but also improve our every day life.

      There are so many other things in which money is really wasted, that could be used to do more scientific research and solve many problems and poverty on Earth.
      Take a look at this very interesting website if you want to know more about it: http://costsmorethanspace.tumblr.com/

    • Photo: Beth Healey

      Beth Healey answered on 13 Oct 2015:

      There are lot’s of important things which we can learn from space and space research which are also useful for all of us back on earth. For example new technology and medical advances. Lot’s of the medical research I am doing here in Concordia has clinical applications. For example the effects of the long polar night (where we didn’t see the sun for over 105 days!) are also applicable to people working for long periods at night (eg factory workers on night shifts) as well as astronauts!

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