How Does Space Exploration Inspire Growth on Earth?
- Integra Youth
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Did you know that your phone camera was a spin-off of the CMOS sensors originally meant for spacecraft?
Like many others, outer space has always been my “one thing” since I was little. Though I wasn’t alive during the first moon landing, it still remains one of the greatest videos I’ve ever watched. Space exploration is a means of investigation beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Every year, countries around the world spend millions of dollars on space exploration. One of the biggest reasons countries focus on space exploration is economic growth as it creates more industries and jobs.
Alongside the economic growth, space exploration inspires growth on Earth in many different ways, making it a worthwhile expenditure. Here are a few of the ways space exploration has created growth on Earth, and how it can change Earth’s future.
Technological Growth
In order to explore space, countries need to create technological advancements. Eventually, these advancements find their way into other fields on Earth such as healthcare, environment, and communication. For instance, when astronauts were sent to outer space, NASA used an electrolytic silver oxidizer to sanitize the water. This tech is used in many water filters around the world. It is also used to purify pool water. Filtered water helps prevent diseases arising from water contamination, improving healthcare on Earth.
A big part of spacecraft technology helps with communication. Having a satellite in orbit helps countries connect with one another and create different kinds of services, such as Google Maps. In fact, the global positioning system (GPS) was only possible with the help of satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO). Another communication device is your phone camera. Originally developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for spacecraft, the CMOS mini-satellite image sensors* were used to create a spin-off now known as phone cameras. Without cameras, it would be difficult to preserve moments of importance in people’s lives, and many people would be out of a job.
Developing items for spacecraft provides people with ideas on how to improve the life of Earthlings, creating space for many technological advancements, not only to reach outer space, but to figure out a way to solve the problems of Earth.
Economic Growth
Another example of growth on Earth from space exploration is apparent in the economy. Through space exploration, many high-value jobs are created. For example, NASA supported around 305,000 jobs in the US in the fiscal year 2023 alone and these kinds of jobs tend to have a significantly higher average income compared to the national average. Furthermore, the higher the number of missions each government agency works on, the greater the employment rates.
Moreover, when a country’s space agency becomes famous for reaching new heights in space exploration, tourism rates go up. This helps raise the country’s reputation. For instance, when NASA or the ESU is launching a spacecraft for exploration, thousands of people travel to watch the launch, bringing in lots of economic success to these countries.
Economic growth in countries can help the citizens by creating more jobs, increasing overall incomes, and leads to a higher standard of living.
Growth in Safety Measures
With satellites orbiting Earth, it becomes easier to predict climate and weather data, which can help prevent natural disasters or at least lessen their impact. In previous years, unanticipated natural disasters were very common and their impacts were extensive. For example, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake was unanticipated as satellites were scarce and technological advancements were not as modern as they are today. Another instance of unanticipated natural disaster was in 1906, during the San Francisco earthquake. Although the region is known for having fault lines and dangerous earthquakes, the specific timing and scale of this earthquake and subsequent fire were not predicted, leading to a great amount of destruction.
Comparing this to nowadays, disaster prevention technology has made it easier to evacuate people if need be, or provide citizens with supplies/warnings beforehand to prevent extensive damage to infrastructure and lives. For instance, cyclones in Bangladesh have drastically reduced in impact. In particular, during Cyclone Mocha in 2023, hundreds of people were evacuated to shelters, preventing a potential catastrophe. This was possible due to the Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP), which is a community-based program following technological updates from weather satellites.
Educational Growth
Many times, space exploration results in positive outcomes, such as the discovery of new technologies, or new stars, comets, asteroids, etc. Usually, these new discoveries have something to teach future generations; this may include a new perspective on life beyond Earth, or overall just information about science and the universe. Sometimes, these discoveries result in ideas, more specifically known as theories. A lot of times, scientific theories are educated hypotheses, however, they need lots of supporting evidence. This evidence might take years to collect, and space theories are known to be complicated, but interesting, which convinces many students to move into this field. Finding evidence for theories is a huge part of why kids decide to go into the STEM field, and pursue a career in technology, science, or mathematics. Overall, new discoveries inspire students to learn more, which is a great tool for their adult lives!
Another form of educational growth comes from international collaboration. Most, if not all, space missions are successful with the help of two or more governmental agencies across the world, which teaches humans about the importance of collaboration. For instance, the International Space Station (ISS) started with 15 initial nations, and has moved on to involve more than 68 countries. The ISS has discovered lots of new technology benefiting humans by understanding and working in a microgravity laboratory.
Final Notes
Overall, focusing on space exploration is a sign of societal growth for most, if not all, countries. This growth may involve new and helpful technologies, or economics, and/or advancements in safety measures. It also inspires future generations and fosters international collaboration and friendship. Without space exploration, many innovations and societal growth on Earth would be hindered, and many everyday tasks would become much more difficult.
So the next time you check the weather or look at a location using the GPS, remember it was space exploration that made it possible!
Written By: Krisha L
* If you want to know more about CMOS mini-satellite image sensors, check this out: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7827463/
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