The Benefits of Space Science

 

What to do if—

  • There is a public panic about the news of an approaching meteor that will wipe out our race. Or, equally, there is an excitement about a newly-found Earth-like planet.
  • You are a chief-of-state who has to approve of a multi-billion budget for a space program whose value you know nothing about.
  • You must do an assignment on space exploration. Or you, or someone close to, should decide whether to major in a space science.
  • You wonder why nations take pride in space missions: their own satellites, satellite-launchers, spaceships, space probes, space stations, etc. along with their astronauts and space scientists, institutes, schools, simulators, telescopes, etc.
  • You wonder what awaits Earth, its inhabitants, and the entire universe, in the future we won't live.
  • You want to overcome space-related myths by facts, e.g. to beat astrologists/charlatans claiming to read people's future and decide their fate by star constellations they know little/nothing about.

We need space science for:

 

• SECURITY against extraterrestrial objects, life forms, physical phenomena/changes/etc.

Nothing like a space threat can unite Earth people together. It's a shame that backward countries are busy with wars, conflicts and superstitions, while leaving advanced countries to think for and protect them against space threats: mapping and halting dangerous meteors/rays/etc., exploring extraterrestrial opportunities (energy, resources, and life, new or already existent), decoding "possible" out-of-space alien radio signals, or just cleaning up space junk. However, it's equally shameful when powerful countries refuse to cooperate together for the benefit of the entire earth, taking their "on-Earth" disagreements up to space.

We need an escape from Earth, temporary or permanent, as a refuge when a disaster strikes. Not only must we leave Earth eventually because of its doomed suction into the sun billions of years from now, but long before that we must have alternatives (plan B, C, etc.) to face the many possible "present" threats, disasters, or circumstances deteriorating life quality on Earth and forcing us to leave—an unexpected/miscalculated/unstoppable global catastrophe by extraterrestrial elements (e.g. meteors, from sun direction) or human-made ones: world war, nuclear winter, water contamination, land dehydration, human infertility, mass extinction, etc.

Additionally, extraterrestrial alternatives can be better than Earth. We must know them to know "what we are missing." Another planet, e.g. a super-earth, could be richer, bigger, safer, healthier, or just more enjoyable and beautiful.

 

Better overall Earth CONTROL, from outside. Information and communication are the most common reasons a country invests in space science, for its own security or development.

  • Information: mapping/scanning Earth surface, individuals' activities, etc.
  • Communication: connecting, from above, all Earth machines, organizations, humans, etc.
  • Changing Earth fully/partially by extraterrestrial lenses, mirrors, Earth-spread particles/gas/liquid; Earth-grown/space-borrowed energy ... to change Earth's
    • climate (its temperature, wind, clouds, rain), e.g. to face global warming/water shortage, air traffic problems, etc.;
    • luminosity/skylight, e.g. for saving power, longer winter days, etc.
    • or even Earth's motion/position/speed, if possible.
  • Connecting (re-uniting) Earth with space, literally: by space elevators, erecting long strong structures extending from Earth to space and vice versa (between gravity & no-gravity zones), paving Earth-Space roads (e.g. a 100-km metal/magnetic/gas-coated/ethereal tube), etc. This saves space-travel cost and time, and widens practicing no-gravity life, bringing & using Earth-made material instantly, etc.

 

• KNOWLEDGE

Better understanding of our universe and Earth by the overview effect, that helps see and control things better. We are only part of a whole bigger than us. It's wiser to study the former before the latter, generals before specifics; otherwise we could suddenly face an outside/inside danger/boon we weren't prepared for.

Overcoming chronic space myths or rumors, and the billions wasted on. Astrologists will shut up when myths and pseudo-sciences go obsolete, replaced by scientific facts obtained directly from space, verified and undisputed. This won't end superstition; it will only limit it (as long as our desire precedes our knowledge, and wishes precede facts).

Improving other sciences that space science needs on a LARGER SCALE than on Earth: physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, etc. let alone mathematics for utmost accuracy.

  • Astro-biology/medicine: living with no/less/more gravity; consuming oxygen/methane/other gasses for body energy; water; exposure to different luminosity/radiation; coping with different day/year length, etc.
  • Astrophysics: various universal patterns of mass, energy, motion ...
  • Astro-chemistry: reactions in high/different energy, chemical elements, planet surfaces, etc.

 

Exploiting/colonizing space is still at primitive stages because of the problem of "distance." We start however with the space & celestial bodies right outside Earth's sphere.

Partial EXPLOITATION of space, to benefit from close planets/satellites/meteors, habitable or not, along with the sun itself and interplanetary space:

  • Importing useful materials: mining gas giants—e.g. helium-3 from Saturn—, mining terrestrial planets/moons.
  • Inhabiting/shaping/striking/driving asteroids.
  • Focusing/diverting/reflecting of rays/energy/magnetic field.
  • Space experiments on motion & other physics laws, e.g. trying super-fast vehicles/planes/rockets/missiles, biology experiments (breathing/mating/cell-aging/growing plants/bacteria, etc.).
  • Space storage.
    • Bigger, safer haven away from Earth's instability: piracy/wars/pollution/catastrophes/climate change.
    • Cheap freezing/heating in naturally cold/hot planets.
  • Space tourism & gaming.
    • On-Earth amusement parks/sports/resorts/hiking/safari trips are limited compared to space equivalents: free fall, levitation, perpetual rotation, liberal structures/designs/motion/consistency, flying objects/carpets/liquids/toys/vehicles/rocks.
    • Rooms overlooking lucid full galactic/solar/terrestrial view, while static or fast traveling, rotating, orbiting other celestial bodies/structures.

 

Extraterrestrial COLONIZATION

  • of no-gravity interplanetary space, starting from that around Earth, or interstellar, starting from that outside the solar system;
  • of rocket/gas planets/satellites: the moon, Mars, Europa, Titan, etc.

Bio-technology permitting, we can change the human body to adapt to life with no gravity, ground, or even oxygen. Knowing it's not a luxury, and it's for our race SURVIVAL, any political correctness or absolute ethics must be left aside, for science to move forward.

Space colonies can solve overpopulation problems, but more importantly they increase humanity's power over the universe by increasing human numbers, to develop other universal zones (fairly & peacefully, to not clash with other alien inhabitants), as every human can add something new to human civilization, esp. if we control birth in advance, to produce only useful humans, with diverse mental and physicals skills.


 

Natural Science Benefits

 

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