Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.

- Clement Stone

This question might seem legitimate at first glance, but if we dig deeper, we understand why one needs to spend so much on Space Exploration.

As of 1st December 2021, there are 4,878 confirmed exoplanets in 3,604 planetary systems, with 807 systems having more than one planet, most of which were discovered from the Kepler Space Telescope.

CURRENT SITUATION

We have not found any sign of life on any other planet except Earth, even if they are in the habitable zone (The habitable zone is the not-too-hot, not-too-cold region around a star where liquid water can exist on a planet’s surface.). This is due to a lack of robust technology to capture minute movements on these planets. Recently, we sent the James Webb Telescope, one of the most advanced innovations in the history of humankind, into the unknown. It not only captures minute details of the universe but can also retrospectively observe ancient galaxies, some 250 million years after the Big Bang, taking us closer to the starting point of the universe. Moreover, this telescope enables scientists to see the dark ages of the cosmos (Before the first starlight appeared in the universe, the whole universe was essentially covered in a primordial gas of sorts, which has led to this era being called the "cosmic dark ages"). It sounds unreal, but it’s very simple: light needs time to travel across the vast distances of space to reach us. The further away an object is, the further back in time we are looking.

Now the question is why? Why are we spending so much time and money on Space Research?

Space exploration will allow us to preserve life in dire circumstances (for example, in case of inevitable mass extinction). There is no guarantee that our Sun will last forever -. And our solar system will cease to be habitable following the death of the Sun.

A point worthy of note is that sooner or later, all advanced civilisations are evicted from their homes as their star nears or reaches the giant or nova stage. They can either go willingly by space travel or by extinction.”

IMPACT OF SPACE EXPLORATION ON HUMAN LIFE

More than fifty years of human activity in space have produced societal benefits that improve the quality of life on Earth. For example, consider - using any digital device. The microcircuit in such an advanced device is the fruit of the effort to miniaturise electronics and produce lightweight avionics - a requirement driven by the weight limits of space exploration. The 64MP camera we are using was developed to build micro cameras for clicking photos in space. Many by-products of space research have significantly improved our quality of life.[1] [2]

When Space Technology has advanced far enough, we may be able to leave this planet in large numbers, surviving harsh conditions of outer space like cosmic waves. And this will solve most of our current problems. It may take centuries or even millennia, but we need to develop and experiment with the technology.

Now the next question is- How far can we go? Maybe till the moon? Or Mars? Or the Asteroid Belt? Or some other planet outside the Solar System? It all depends on how developed our technology is then - on factors including but not limited to fuel efficiency and optimisation of the spacecraft in employment, along with data and image processing power of the same.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS

We study distant planets to get to know their conditions (such as atmospheric, geological etc.), so that when similar situations occur on our planet earth, we will be better equipped to deal with them. For example, Suppose we discover a distant planet in a habitable zone with high concentrations of CO2 and less O2. We know how that planet is behaving in response to such environmental situations. In that case, we can expect similar behaviour from Earth and plan how to react.

A real example can be Venus. . It was believed that Venus was a habitable planet that could support life like our earth at the beginning of our solar system. Still, something changed over time, making Venus today a hellish world. It has a crushing carbon dioxide atmosphere 90 times as thick as Earth’s. There is almost no water vapour. Temperatures reach 864 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius) at its surface. So, spending billions of money on studying Venus' Surface can be validated because this information will help us strategise better for tackling such conditions on our planet in the future.

There are two main branches of science looking for life right now: Mars researchers and SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

If we find life on Mars, it will probably be microbes - nothing too significant. But that discovery will mean that life forms on planets are much harsher than ours and form almost every time the conditions are right. If there are 300,000,000,000 (300 billion!) planets in the galaxy, and you only look at two of them, and both of them have life, you can be almost sure that life is pretty commonplace. That is crucial information because we on Earth can probably find other planets that will support comfortable human life and already have their biosphere in place. If that is probable, we can start looking for homes for migration!

If the SETI finds life, the implications are different. Suppose radio signals from other stars are detected. In that case, that will imply that not only is there life elsewhere in the galaxy, but it is intelligent - at least smart enough to build radios from this information about the existence of intelligent alien species stem questions related to amity, diplomacy, trade, defence, and so on.

And what if we find nothing? Unlikely as it may be, what if we are alone? There is a pretty big universe out there, with trillions of galaxies much like ours, each with billions of stars, several of them being much like ours, and most of them have several planets. There is a virtual certainty that the conditions needed for life exist elsewhere in the universe. The real question is how often that happens. How many planets are good options for life forms like ours? And by not finding life elsewhere in the galaxy, we can infer something about those odds. Millions spent now on that sort of effort could save us trillions spent on future colonisation efforts that might have attempted to land on unsuitable worlds.

Another aspect of this matter that carries grave importance is the ever-growing climate crisis. Climate change is emerging as one of the most significant long-term challenges. Many of NASA’s innovations now used for dealing with climate change were originally pioneered for space travel and planetary exploration before anyone repurposed them for use on Earth.[3] A few examples of these include:

• A handheld/mounted spectrometer was created to look for methane on Mars which lets natural gas producers easily spot and stop leaks.
• Emisshield licensed a coating NASA developed for hypersonic space plane heat shields, improved it, and turned it to industrial applications like incinerators, boilers, and refractories to help save energy.
• NASA developed the automated Direct-To software tool to evaluate air traffic and suggest shorter routes to pilots in flight. Airline manufacturer Boeing turned it into part of the company’s flight-optimization suite, where it helps shave minutes – and fuel consumption – from each flight.

(You can check out many such spinoff innovations on the website given in the references!)

While technology stemming from space exploration has done loads to help counter climate change on Earth, the truth remains that global warming is inevitable. This makes space research and exploration all the more imperative - not just for technology development but also for finding an alternative habitation for civilisation.

And that is the big thing. Climate change is accurate, and considering the rate at which it is escalating, we can be certain that someday the Earth will no longer be fit to be called home. We don't know how or when, but it will happen. If humanity wants to live through that event, we need to find another planet to sustain life. So, for the sake of preserving our species, a few billion dollars is a pretty reasonable investment.

CONCLUSION

To sum up, space exploration and research is vital considering the following factors:

• Improved quality of life on Earth via technology development and transfer
• Knowledge of foreign planet conditions to better prepare for possible future scenarios
• Addressing the long-standing question of our solitude in the universe
• Innovations for countering climate change
• A long term solution/contingency plan for the case of mass extinction or the inevitable loss of earth’s hospitality thanks to climate change and the Sun’s limited life
• Preservation of the human race and life in general

We are here today for one main reason: due to years of evolution. Ultimately it is humanity’s duty towards its future descendants to put an effort to ensure they can survive and thrive.

[1] Benefits Stemming from Space Exploration

[2] 10 Surprising Ways NASA Technology Has Improved Life On Earth | HuffPost Impact

[3] NASA Technology Helps in Fight Against Climate Change