• Question: Why do you think space travel and space science are important? How do/will these sciences benefit us now or in the future?

    Asked by SHS 9C to Anne, Beth, COLFlight, Jon, Tom on 7 Oct 2015. This question was also asked by 299trn28, Winnie60701.
    • Photo: Columbus Flight Directors

      Columbus Flight Directors answered on 7 Oct 2015:

      Sergio:
      Hi SHS!
      There are so many cases for which the space sciences have provided benefits for us on Earth that is very difficult to select one.

      The first that comes to my mind is this: to build the launch structures for the Space Shuttle, they had to develop new damping systems that would allow the structure to sustain the vibrations of launching the rocket to space.
      This new technology is now used on houses, buildings and skyscrapers so that they resist to earthquakes!
      Imagine how many lives space travel has saved on Earth thanks to this!

      If you want to know more, check out the NASA at home website, it gives quite a good number of examples: https://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/nasacity/index2.htm

      And if you want to do some more detailed reading, you can also look at the NASA spinoff web page: https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2015/

    • Photo: Beth Healey

      Beth Healey answered on 7 Oct 2015:

      There are lots of medical applications for the human research I am doing here in Concordia.

      For example we are investigating the effect of using artificial light on they eyes during our long polar night (over 100 days without the sun!). This information is of use to lot’s of other people as well as astronauts. For instance, factory workers who do lot’s of night shifts…

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