Every time another space ship, manned or unmanned takes off, I hear many people talk about why we are doing this. They think it's a waste of money when there are so many problems on earth. Billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are spending much of their fortune on developing rockets that can take us to the moon and beyond. Much of it is billionaire competition and ego, but there are are many benefits beyond this.
Space X and NASA have partnered on much of the new exploration. Private development of space exploration is much less expensive, and I daresay faster, than U.S. government exploration. What makes space exploration so exciting to me, beyond the obvious of wanting to know what's out there and are we alone, is the hundreds of scientific experiments that are being done that will benefit us all. Experiments include studies on the aging of immune systems, organic material concrete alternatives, and cardiorespiratory effects during and after long-duration exposure to microgravity, studies of bioprinting, crystalization of monoclonal antibodies, changes in immune function, plant gene expression changes, processing alloys. These are just some of the more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations that take place on missions. Installing telescopes in space, and other photographic material is also done.
So next time someone tells you that space exploration by the billionaires is just for their ego, you can remind them that probably the most important work of the missions is really not talked about by the media. The hundreds of experiments across many scientific disciplines, done in every mission, will benefit all mankind.
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