When the James Webb telescope images were released in July, the vastness of outer space amazed me. I had the realization that each of those minuscule sparkles and swirls in the sky represents a whole galaxy full of possibilities — yet that image still only captures a single slice of the universe.

In American culture, space has always maintained that element of enigma and intrigue: endless planets to explore, new lifeforms, unknown dangers. These ideas litter popular media and led to the creation of some of the most beloved franchises of recent history. 

But space not only represents a vital aspect of pop culture, it also dares us to dream with boldness. Space calls on us to search for meaning and life and reaches across all the division and partisan boundaries to bring hope towards a common goal.

We should continue exploring space, continue pursuing knowledge that lies beyond our own atmosphere, not just because of the hope and dreams which it represents, but also for the extensive, tangible benefits which space exploration creates for our society.

Although the money used for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) could also be used to directly help people on our home planet, NASA actually has an estimated revenue of $7 billion, creates more than $64 billion in economic output and supports over 300,000 jobs. And NASA’s benefits are more far reaching than just this.

What do memory foam, CAT scans, GPS navigation and anti-gravity treadmills have in common? They were all developed for NASA. Though space exploration may seem like something that would rarely affect the average person, we interact with NASA technology every day. For example, the cell phone cameras we use take high-quality videos and use less power because of the advent of CMOS sensors, which were invented for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory so that NASA could take small cameras on space missions. Often, optimizations made for space lead to better lives for people who live on Earth.

Although we still need to exercise caution when exploring space, potential dangers are not necessarily reasons to stop or limit exploration. We should continue ongoing discussions of ethical topics such as risks to the lives of astronauts or the issue of claiming extraterrestrial land. Space ethics is and will be a vital field that requires more research and development as time goes on, but technology develops slowly — these ethical risks, especially those associated with transporting humans to distant planets, or even planets in our own solar system, are far-off from our present capabilities.

Limiting our own exploration of space slows the movement of progress, and who wants to live in a world where we stop ourselves from reaching the promise of the future? Space challenges us, captivates us; it creates a common goal that extends beyond humanity and into the stars.