If you are interested in space exploration or are keeping up with the events happening in that sector, you probably would have heard this question before, “Why should we spend money on space travel when there are so many problems here on earth?” You may have picked your own side if you agree or disagree with the given question, but I think this question is a false dilemma.
Space exploration isn’t limiting us from solving problems like climate change and inequality. In fact, it is actually helping us! For example, weather satellites are what makes Earth science. These satellites collect data not just from Earth, but from other planets like Venus and Mars, and climate scientists use this data to tackle climate change on Earth. Another example could be SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive), which is a satellite mission by NASA that measures and maps Earth's soil moisture. Countries that are prone to droughts use the data provided by this mission to forecast crop yields and improve irrigation plannings. And this is just one of the many space programs that are dedicated to improving life on Earth.
Many people still would argue that we spend way too much money on space exploration which could be invested in improving life on earth. I have already mentioned how space exploration is already improving life on earth, but the first part of the above statement is also false. We are actually not spending that much money on space exploration. Out of the entire United States budget for 2019, how much money do you think was given to NASA for space exploration? 10%? 5%? The answer is, 0.5%. Was that much money too much to ask, when the missions that we're able to start because of that funding now benefit billions of people worldwide?
There is one more reason we should keep investing in space exploration that I haven’t mentioned yet, and it may just be the most important of all of them. That reason is ‘Mass Extinction’. I know the possibility of a massive apocalypse wiping out all life on earth is astronomically low. But mass extinctions have happened before and we know it. If a mass extinction happens and we aren’t prepared for it, the consequences would be catastrophic. And when the potential consequences of something could be so large, doesn’t it make sense to take it seriously?
Space exploration helps us to be prepared for such an apocalypse in two ways, first is by trying to colonize other planets, so that if something were to happen to Earth we would always have another safe space to move to. And the second way is by collecting data on the stuff that could cause a mass extinction, like asteroids which could cause an asteroid impact.
So, I think that the question of ‘Why should we spend money on space travel?” is answered. Because exploration isn’t just burning money to launch rockets. It is something that actually makes life better on earth.