The Hubble Excites Imaginations

Knowledge gained from the Hubble Space Telescope excites the imaginations of people all over the world and enhances our national prestige.

On a recent trip to Panama I worked alongside and conversed with a fellow named Enrique. I practiced my Spanish and he practiced his English, which was much better than my Spanish. Enrique is a construction laborer, who gets by on $14 a day. He was obviously intelligent but did not have the opportunity for an advanced education, and probably does not have easy access to all the modern communications and news media that we take for granted in the developed world.

Yet when Enrique learned that I teach astronomy, he asked about the Hubble Space Telescope and the things that we've learned from it. I was a bit surprised that even people in the third world, who by necessity are mostly concerned with basic survival, have heard of the Hubble Space Telescope. Perhaps there is a lesson here.

People are curious about the world and universe around us. Projects like the space telescope, which don't have immediate applications, still excite people because they help us learn about the universe. Applications of science are important, but basic science just for the excitement of knowing more about our universe is also important. It excites imaginations all over the world.

Beyond basic knowledge and curiosity, there are many justifications for the space program in general. One that the experience with Enrique points out to me is national prestige. People all over the world know about our space program and its successes. This applies to both the manned space program and to unmanned robotic spacecraft.

Successes in space excite people all over the world by providing new knowledge and in the process increase the national prestige of the country behind the successful project.