Recent a friend told me he discovered a variable star. In my humble opinion this is a pretty big deal. This lead into a more philosophical discussion about the need for the space programs. We both agreed that the space program is important.
It seems like every time you turn around you here about how NASA has messed up. How we spent millions of dollars on a faulty satellite or how they lost contact with a Martian probe. What you don’t here about are the successes. Many of which cannot be measured by conventional means. Some of which can. Recently the mar rover spirit surpassed the Viking I lander in service days. The Spirit rover was designed for a mere 90 day mission. What was supposed to be a small glimpse of our neighboring plant has turned into a 1281 sol (Martian day) mission of exploration and discovery.
How many of today’s pleasantries are born of the space program? How many children first learn the wonders of science by viewing pictures of and from space? With a budget over 18 billion dollars it may seen like NASA would be flush with cash. Yet it contrast to the over all national budget they receive less then 1 cent out of every dollar.
This does not mean we should ignore the problems of the world. We should continue to work towards a cure for cancer. Great authors should continue to work on the next great novel. Much like great authors and painters of the past we may not realize the value of the space program until it is gone.
