Why Is Space So Fascinating?
1Q, 1A – where we ask one question and an expert gives one answer
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Why does space capture our imaginations so well? From science fiction stories to the enthralling images and videos from NASA’s recent voyage around the dark side of the Moon, stories of space travel, exploration and — perhaps – even future habitations intrigue us all.
Planetary scientist and academic leader Meenakshi Wadhwa shares her thoughts on why that is.
Wadhwa is director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, vice chancellor for marine sciences and dean of the School of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. She is an award-winning planetary scientist interested in the time scales and processes involved in the formation and evolution of the Solar System and planets. She also served as NASA’s principal scientist for the Mars Sample Return Program, a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency to bring samples of Mars to Earth for the first time.
Why is space so fascinating?
Space exploration captivates us for a simple reason: it holds the promise of answering some of our most fundamental questions. Where did we come from? Are we alone? What becomes of us?
Meenakshi Wadhwa
The sheer scale of the universe, with the hundreds of billions of galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars, makes our imagination soar. That vastness, combined with the possibility that somewhere in it something else is alive, is almost impossible to contemplate without a sense of wonder. The public responds to space exploration because it speaks to something genuinely universal: curiosity about our own significance.
For researchers, the search for life beyond Earth is a serious scientific question with profound implications. Finding even microbial life on Mars or in the oceans of Europa would reshape our understanding of science and philosophy, forcing us to reconsider whether life is a cosmic accident or an inevitable outcome of the physical and chemical conditions on planetary bodies.
Closer to home, space-based observations of Earth have made us better stewards of our own planet. Satellites track deforestation, glacial retreat, ocean warming, and atmospheric composition with a precision and reach impossible from the ground. We understand the rapidly changing conditions on our planet as well as we do largely because we have eyes in orbit.
As for moon bases and deep-space missions: you might ask how these help us here on Earth. The science and engineering breakthroughs they generate — in energy, medicine, materials, and life support — tend to migrate back to terrestrial life in ways that benefit everyone.
As I see it, space exploration isn’t about escaping from Earth. It’s one of the most powerful tools we have for understanding and benefiting our home planet.
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Wadhwa was also recently featured in this NBC news segment: “People You Should Know: Dr. Meenakshi Wadhwa and the Mission to Protect Our Planet.”
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