John Selfors
Mrs. Straub
AP Economics
2/16/2015
The DSCOVR Probe Launch
With the increase in the ability to send probes into space and receive important data, placing a probe in between the earth and the sun has been important for the general welfare of humanity. As such the frequency of space launches has continuously increased. While the frequency of the launches have increased, it is not without reason.Through space exploration new discoveries can be made about the functioning of our world, which can inevitably help to secure the future of humanity. The DSCOVR probe is the next step towards fulfilling humanities unlimited wants.
The marginal benefit of sending a probe to this location is it allows the whole world to get valuable data which can save important communication satellites, the power grid, and transportation system by providing 15- 60 minutes of ahead of time feedback about the sun. It will end up decreasing the factors of production for almost every piece of electrical equipment, as there will be less maintenance cost involved. This inevitably means an outwards shift in supply. The expected amount of saved resources is between $1 and $2 trillion per every large solar storm, which shows the marginal cost is less than the marginal benefit. It also enables SpaceX to test their reusable rocket, which will further decrease the factors of production for space travel allowing for future launches to cost even less, while also increasing the quantity of launches. These launches will also enable scientific advances to happen with less resources allowing for economic growth to occur, as both technology will improve, and the efficiency we use resources will increase.
In addition to the sensors that will increase our ability to protect earth from the sun, it will provide constant feedback about the situation of earth’s climate. The sensors marginal benefit will include the ability to read ozone, aerosol concentrations, the amount of vegetation, and the cloud cover. This data will help further increase the reliability of our daytime weather forecasting attempts, as the DSCOVR will always be on the lit side of the earth. The data will also allow further explanation as to how the climate functions on earth, as currently not much is known on the subject. As with the effects of the solar wind portion of the probe, the earth side will also yield great benefit to earth.
This will lead to further space launches such as the proposed mars launch, which will allow humanity to gain access to a larger amount of resources again causing more development. If space exploration continues, new breakthroughs can take place which will inevitably further better the standard of living.
In conclusion, space exploration still plays an important role in our everyday lives, and without it there would be many more hardships here on earth. Throughout the future, the market for space exploration will undoubtedly grow, causing even more benefits to humanity. Throughout the future there must be a larger push to increase the functioning of important sensory feedbacks on our world in order to increase our understanding of this world that we live in.
Works Cited
"DSCOVR:." Deep Space Climate Observatory. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR/>.
Space exploration deals more with long run goals than short run goals. Even though in the short run some people may wonder why we would need space exploration, as stated in this article space exploration has many long term benefits. In society today we often want the fastest return on our investment and we sometimes forget to look at the big picture. This investment similar to saving for retirement could be something that could be saved up for and produce long term utility for society. If the price is right for space exploration, this may turn into an industry of its own in the future which can also create new jobs..
ReplyDeleteWith space exploration we might be able to find some usable resources on other planets allowing us to be able to gather them and bring them back somehow. we might even be able to send people to another planet that would take some time to reach and start a civilization there.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting in helping to see how space exploration is a good idea because it benefits humanity in more ways than by just giving us information about other planets. With information we receive, we can predict and prepare for events that might damage certain things or be harmful for the environment. It can be hard to see the effects of decisions to explore space right away, but overtime, the benefits will be high and the money and time will have been well spent. While we don’t want to spend too much money and time on space exploration, the right amount of money and time will prove to be beneficial in the long run.
ReplyDeleteSpace programs like NASA and SpaceX should not be viewed as just programs that launch rockets for the fun of it, but as companies that improve life on Earth. The launching of satellites is important to get a better understanding of Earth. Satellites improve almost every aspect of our lives, so budget cuts to the space programs should be limited now and in the future. Our generation might not benefit from the long term projects that NASA is working on, like gathering resources from asteroids and planets, but it is an investment that we must use for future generations.
ReplyDeleteI do personally favor the topic, space and the whatnot we send into it, and you began to make it seem a little boring. You got in plenty of the vocab, but seemed to lack enough of an energetic voice in your writing. Keeping the audience intrigued is one of the only things I'd suggest you work on. Your sources seemed to be running a little low as well and some visual might be very helpful in keeping the audience interested. I also agree with Daniel, the big picture is a great part to include. What you got out there was a good start though, it'd be nice to read a little more.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that people often forget about why space exploration is so important is that the resources on out planet are finite. In an ever growing civilization such as ours, we need more and more resources to satisfy even our most basic needs. Our planet doesn't have the ability to supply us with these resources forever, and at some point, we will need to find another source of basic resources to simply keep ourselves alive. If we neglect to take the necessary steps to secure our future, our future generations will end up having a very rough time.
ReplyDeleteYou talk greatly about the importance of space exploration. To strengthen this statement I would add some concessions, describing some of its trade offs and opportunity costs. I think that it is interesting that space exploration has been slashed in a lot of budget cuts, even though space programs take up such a small percent of the budget. I think that we need space exploration to improve mankind, and with more valuable techniques in lowering the cost for space exploration we should embrace the thought of increased space exploration not repel it. In response to Harrison's comment, our resources are finite, but space exploration might not be the end all savior to this, what does space hold that we need? I think that we need to preserve our resources before looking for new ones, as the resources that we may find through space exploration could be entirely useless.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Harrison. When making economic decisions, it is important to take into account the long term effects instead of only the immediate. This includes not only the effect things will have on you, or even the present day society, but the effect on the posterity. John, do you think space exploration should be funded by the government? Should it be run by private corporations?
ReplyDeleteI know what I’m saying is similar to the other comments, but space exploration is one of the most future conscientious thing that we do. Using the DSCOVR will help future generations and now that scientists are looking and finding exoplanets more frequently than before, knowing the condition of our own planet is always something good to keep in mind when searching for other forms of stable life. But just a few questions that I had, how does the DSCOVR help save things like the power grid and satellites by knowing information about the sun faster than we already do? My only outside knowledge of the DSCOVR launch was that SpaceX sent a probe between the sun and the Earth, but that was about it.
ReplyDeleteSpace holds a lot of untapped potential that is hard for humans as a whole to understand. Especially since these are all long term goals that will take losses in the short run, but that is what we see: losses. But the benefit will overtake these costs by such a large amount it is just what humanity needs to take ourselves to the next step.
ReplyDeleteThe DSCOVR allows sensory feedback upon the solar wind situation. As solar wind emits large electromagnetic flares, and electromagnetic flairs can cause an EMP like reaction, solar wind is capable of completely wiping the entire electrical grid (as EMPs do). The reason why this isn't extremely prevalent is most of the time Earth is protected by the internal magnetic shielding the earth provides. DSCOVR can detect the signs of an electromagnetic flare, and send data backto earth in order to warn us about the problem before it strikes earth
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy the articles about things less trivial than Netflix or Kanye West, and I must say this article certainly explored a very interesting subject. I do agree with some others that the problems with the economics of space exploration pertain mostly to the necessity of short-term profitability but the reality of long-term results. And so, it has been difficult for companies to yield a profit in space, but companies like SpaceX show great promise in being the first to profit from the economics of the final frontier. I would too agree with you that space exploration goes beyond how we can profit from it; it contains information which can spread humanity beyond Earth, protect our civilization, and broaden our understanding of the universe of which we are all citizens.
ReplyDelete