STAT September 24, 2021
SpaceX Inspiration4, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, recently orbited the Earth for three days with an all-civilian crew. It was preceded by two shorter spaceflights also funded by billionaires: Virgin Galactic by Richard Branson and Blue Origin by Jeff Bezos.
After the excitement over the novelty of these space trips waned, many people wondered: Why don’t these billionaires spend their money to help with problems we already have on Earth rather than spending it on exclusive jaunts to space?
The mission of commercial space companies is to take people away from the Earth. But given the likelihood humanity will long be Earth-bound, trips into the thermosphere and beyond create incredible opportunities to explore space while at the same time making...