Over the line! Exploring space is cool, inarguably, but it's also pretty expensive. So why do we keep throwing so much money into orbit, and why should we in the future?
Why does space exploration matter? According to NASA, about one time every 10,000 years, an asteroid the size of a football field smashes into Earth. It causes tidal waves big enough to flood the coast.
But there are bigger asteroids out there too, and that is what we need to worry about. You see, a large enough asteroid could unleash a firestorm. We're talking end of the world type stuff. Filling the atmosphere with dust, wiping out forests and farms, starving what it doesn't immediately kill. Keeping an eye out for these objects may save humanity from an untimely death.
The US space program is responsible for tons of nifty stuff. We already know about freeze-dried food, right? But there are so many more examples.
For instance, in the 1960s, NASA developed this plastic coated with a metallic reflecting agent. When used in blankets, this stuff reflects about 80% of a user's body heat back to them. This helps accident victims stay warm.
And then there's nitinol, a flexible, resistant alloy that was developed for use in satellites. Today it's used in... Braces.
No, seriously. That's weird, right? Does anybody else think that's just me? All right, there's gold out in them there cosmos and silver and platinum and other stuff too.
Private sector ventures envision mining all the way out on asteroids, but space miners don't have to go that far. The moon is a potential source of helium-3 that's used in MRIs, for instance, and rare earth elements that you'll find in electronics and solar panels. And now here's one that I know a lot of people have been waiting for, aliens.
We have to mention it, about half of Americans believe that life exists somewhere else in the cosmos. But so far, we've searched for extraterrestrials in vain, possibly because the Earth's atmosphere interferes with our reception. That's why researchers are more eager for observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope, which will search for the chemical signs of life in the atmospheres of distant planets. I mean, it's a start, but an even more aggressive effort might finally help us to answer one of the biggest questions in human history.
Are we alone? I don't mean dating status, I mean, you get it. Satellites are helping us to monitor pressing problems here on Earth, from forest fires to oil spills.
But our population, our rampant greed, and our pollution have severely damaged our planet already. According to a 2012 survey, most scientists estimate that Earth has a carrying capacity of between 8 and 10 million tons. and 16 billion people.
And here's the thing, there are already over seven billion of us. So this has led some futurists to argue that we should be preparing to colonize another planet and soon. Our survival might depend on it.
But, you know, no pressure. Thank you for watching. Give us a like before the asteroids hit and let us know what you think of space exploration in the comments. Be sure to subscribe so you're never out of your element. and stay tuned for more What The Stuff.