"There's nothing more beautiful than this beautiful view (pointing behind her at an image of the Earth from space at a World Economic Forum panel) and all astronauts are transformed, we call it the #OverviewEffect.
When you see Earth as in the background here, you get it. We are all astronauts - we're orbiting our Sun.
And we are here to figure out how we can all work together, celebrate all our similarities, and our hope for humanity and spaceship Earth, rather than being divided of our differences. It's all about the human element, it's all about humans, how humans can thrive, and how we can train and have humans thrive when they're in very isolated, confined environments [about travelling to the Moon and beyond]."
~ Dava Newman, Director, MediaLab at MIT, who often speaks about the importance of the #humancondition and the #humanspirit in terms of her work in the space industry.
Why do we need to invest in space (exploration, missions, spaceflights, space stations, satellites…), when there are so many pressing problems right here on Earth?
Fair question I often read/hear.
From a non-engineer/scientist, here is my perspective on the matter:
For one, it is inspiring and informative, and with all the outreach programs available, meant to educate and inspire, you don't need to be an expert in this field to be mesmerized and in awe of what far-distance or closer to home mission have to offer.
But my main interest in this sector is how it’s about [peaceful] collaborations (between people, companies, and nations), as well as it’s about innovating (versus destruction).
Synonyms to “innovate”: invent, construct, pioneer, conceive, launch… It’s about futurism.
With all the global geopolitical challenges and current conflicts affecting millions of people, where they face war, destruction, hunger, needing to flee (or stuck in a warzone), not able to attend school, or focus on the future – the last thing on their minds is to innovate.
Wars are about destruction. To innovate is to work on the future.
I am originally from a country still in ongoing conflict (and now so blessed to be Canadian) so this matter is a personal one to me and where lies my great interest in a thriving industry that inspires
Hence for me, one of the benefits to space exploration, is how people unite and innovate for a better future (rather than destruction, wars, conflicts), for the betterment of Earth, by advancing science, learning about our existence, how we came to be, what's out there..., and for a safe, peaceful, healthy life here on Earth.
But the benefits to space exploration are numerous, and for that I will share future posts with direct quotes I've collected from scientists, space executives and professionals from the industry.
More to come soon in this series on The Benefits of Space Exploration.
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