There are about forty people in a room with their eyes glued to their monitors, between headphones, intermingled cable cords, and a lot of nervousness. The speed starts to slow down – they show some plots on screen. “Touchdown confirmed” – and in the room they jump, cry, and hug each other celebrating such a tremendous achievement. It was August 2012 and I was teary eyed watching the live feed of Curiosity’s landing on Mars. A month ago, with the room a little emptier, wearing masks, and unable to hug but with the same contagious emotion and tears, we heard: “Touchdown confirmed – Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars”. Chills – right?
One month after landing on the red planet, Perseverance has updated its software and taken its first steps. Meanwhile, Earthlings continue to argue about what a waste it is to invest in space research.
On the one hand, the fact that we can see and hear another planet provokes an inexplicable feeling. It is impossible not to be moved by the sight of all the people involved in this work jumping up and down and crying with such excitement. But with every new step that involves sending something into space – including living beings – we hear the question, sometimes in energetic complaints in the “twitterverse,” about why we invest so much in space research instead of investing in solving the problems we deal with every day here on Earth. Why not invest all that money in preserving “our” planet? If we read stories and testimonials from the space missions of the 60s, these complaints have always been there.
Is it really a “waste” to invest in space science?
To improve conditions on our planet we need to make better data-driven decisions, but in much of the world investment in monitoring and research is almost non-existent. In addition, obtaining data at high frequency and spatial coverage requires a lot of resources. For example, the lake which I am working on for my master’s thesis has a very poor record of in situ data, and it is thanks to satellite data that we can study the changes in water temperature over the past decades. Beyond temperature, there are now a large number of sensors on different satellites that help us study changes in forest cover, atmospheric composition, sea level, and many other variables worldwide! Getting this data on Earth is a monstrous task.
Beyond the natural sciences, the development of technology for space studies has always been accompanied by incredible moments of serendipity and collaborations where applications are found to solve local problems. In the 1980s, while scientists at NASA were studying the potential of some algae as a recycling agent and food for longer space travel, they discovered that these algae produce two fatty acids that were previously only known in breast milk but could not yet be synthesized. Today these are important additives to many baby formulas, essential for development and their mental and visual health.
The International Space Station (ISS) has also brought about many advances from which we all benefit. Because of the need to be able to communicate quickly and monitor experiments on the ISS from Earth via the Internet, we can now also use this technology to communicate with our family and friends across the ocean and keep up with the Kardashians (I guess…). The contributions of space sciences to telecommunications allow for good air traffic control, we can travel almost whenever we like, and even enjoy movies while flying. It is thanks to space research, too, that I can write this in a personal blog and you can read it wherever you are.
From solar panels, LEDs, and water purification systems, to medical applications such as VAD for heart attack patients, CAT scanners, and artificial limbs, the contribution of space science to our daily lives is undeniable. ESA has even supported all this year in building mobile laboratories to support and make COVID19 testing more accessible.
Even you could get a license to use NASA technology if you have an idea for an application that has not yet been developed. Every year they publish the so-called “NASA Spin-offs“, a publication with the products that we use every day developed during that year in the areas of technology, medicine, environment, and other products that have emerged thanks to space research. My favorites from my day-to-day life: GPS, wireless headphones, and my trusty cordless vacuum cleaner. Thank you, space nerds – really.
So how do we “save planet Earth”?
Cutting funds in one area, such as space research, does not guarantee that they will be re-invested in other sciences. Investing in space science is not what is preventing investment in conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. This is what we call a “false dichotomy”. The barriers to conservation are others, and they are in our hands.
On April 15, 2019, Notre Dame Cathedral went up in flames. Less than 10 days later, more than 600 million euros had already been raised for its restoration. Money is not the problem. If there is a surplus of something in this world, it is money. The problem is its distribution, our behavior and consumption habits, and political will. As long as we continue supporting unsustainable activities, consuming from unethical companies, and without controlling our corrupt rulers, little will change.
We raised millions of euros for a cathedral in less than 10 days and landed a rover – drone included – on another planet in less than 10 months. I have no doubt that together we can work for a sustainable planet. The question is, how much are we willing to change? Let me know what your thoughts on this matter are in the comments!
Fun fact: The U.S. budget for the defense department is more than 50% of its annual budget; that for space research is less than 1%.
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