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Did you know that NASA spends around 23 billion dollars in one year? That is a crazy amount of money that is going into space travel. Why would we spend such valuable resources and money on space exploration when we need to fix so much here on Earth? How can we help the Earth if space exploration burns fossil fuels which is incredibly bad for the environment?

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We should not spend valuable resources on space exploration because Nasa uses around 23.3 billion dollars we should focus that money to people and the Earth first, It also burns fossil fuels which is incredibly bad for the environment.

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I know that we should focus on the Earth before we focus on space.

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In Bangladesh, the Bank is helping to improve air quality and safe mobility in Dhaka by strengthening air quality monitoring and modernizing brick making and urban transport. Carbon emission reduction credits generated with Bank support are helping to improve working conditions, to protect people's health and to provide better pay for workers.

In Mali, the Obsolete Pesticides Disposal and Prevention Project disposed of 532 tons of obsolete pesticides and toxic waste between 2014 and 2018. In Cote d'Ivoire, 329 tons of Obsolete Pesticides and Associated Waste (OPAWs) were successfully collected, transported, stored, and destroyed with the support of the Bank through the Obsolete Pesticides Management Project, including the funding of the elaboration of laws on the transport, storage, and disposal of pesticides to ensure the country's sustainable management of pesticides.

In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, which is the largest megaregion in North China and home to 110 million people, Hebei Province is the biggest contributor to air pollution in China. With support from the World Bank, the concentration of Hebei's fine particulate matter-PM 2.5 -an air pollutant that has a negative impact on human health, was reduced by nearly 40 percent by the end of 2020 compared with 2014, and the deployment of clean heating has reduced annual carbon dioxide emissions by six million tons, equivalent to taking 1.2 million gasoline passenger vehicles off the road per year.

In Lao PDR the Bank is supporting the government in undertaking policy reforms aimed at minimizing health risks from pesticides and promoting cleaner production in industry; and establishment of national standards for air and water quality - including lead in air and water - and vehicle emission standards. The Bank provided this support through two development policy operations. An investment project under preparation will help Lao PDR's policies to prevent and reduce pollution.

In Mongolia, the World Bank is helping to curb air pollution in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Air pollution is particularly high during winter, when dwellers of ger areas burn coal and wood for cooking and heating. The Ulaanbaatar Clean Air Project is helping to replace stoves and low-pressure boilers with more energy efficient alternatives in the short term. The project is also working with the municipality to increase access to affordable housing and providing services, such as district heating, to improve the living conditions of some of Ulaanbaatar's poorest and most vulnerable groups and further improve air quality over the longer term.

Through an investment loan in Peru the Bank is supporting a project to develop environmental information systems that includes expanding the country's air quality monitoring network to six new cities (Trujillo, Chiclayo, Iquitos, Huancayo, Cusco and Piura). The project also funds the construction of a government laboratory to test samples from its stations and to provide calibration and quality control of third-party labs. Finally, the project is developing new systems to disseminate this information to the public.
Analytical work
Working jointly with client countries, the Bank also carries out analytical work to identify environmental priorities for poverty alleviation. Recent analytical work conducted by the Bank assessed the global estimates of the health burden of outdoor air pollution and the implications for low- and middle-income countries. Another study addressed opportunities and challenges for filling air quality data gaps in low- and middle-income countries. Other analytical work has assessed the performance of satellite for air quality measurements in low- and middle-income countries; as well as the health implications of exposure to natural dust and to chemical constituents of particulate matter pollution and components of particulate matter from different pollution sources. In addition, interventions for reducing air pollution have been developed along with work that addresses the linkages between pollution, health, climate change and fiscal solutions.

In Europe and Central Asia, the World Bank conducted analytical work that assesses the cost of ambient air pollution in Poland, both nationally and by individual regions. With emphasis on the critical residential sector, this work analyzes the likely impacts of national and EU legislative scenarios on future pollution emissions and ambient air quality in Poland. The work also includes a demonstrative cost-benefit analysis of selected interventions to reduce ambient air pollution in residential and transport sectors and from point sources in the regions that bear the heaviest burden of the impacts of ambient air pollution. In the Western Balkan countries of North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, analytical work conducted by the World Bank assesses the cost of ambient air pollution in the individual countries. Furthermore, the work assesses current and future structures of air emission sources in the country and provides national-level source apportionment analyses of PM2.5, the most documented air pollutant for its harmful effects on human health.

In Pakistan, the World Bank conducted analytical work that helped to raise awareness about the severity of air pollution and its impacts on human health. The analytical work also identified cost-effective interventions to reduce outdoor air pollution and opportunities to strengthen the institutional framework for air quality management.

In Africa, the World Bank conducted analytical work to identify, assess and prioritize interventions for Air Quality Management in Ethiopia and Solid Waste Management in Rwanda, in green value chain measures for industrial pollution control in the Lake Victoria Basin.

Analytical work has also been instrumental to help set environmental priorities, identifying the categories of environmental degradation that are more closely linked with poverty reduction and economic growth. This approach has been applied in Yucatan (Mexico), Sindh (Pakistan), the Sundarbans (West Bengal, India), and Lao PDR, where analytical work has informed investments, policy reforms, and capacity building interventions to address environmental priorities. Analytical work has also been used to mainstream pollution management in key sectors, such as transport and industry.
Water pollution
The Bank is assisting Argentina with an ambitious integrated plan for the cleanup and sustainable development of the Matanza-Riachuelo River basin. The project is building a large wastewater collector on the left bank of the Riachuelo River, which will transport sewage to different treatment plants, thereby avoiding direct discharge into the river. The project is also constructing an 11.5-kilometer outfall that will lead to Río de la Plata. Additionally, the Integral Sanitation Plan will expand and/or build several treatment plants throughout the basin and construct waterfall aeration stations. These large-scale engineering works are crucial for the health of 7 million people living in the area, of whom at least 10 percent live below the national poverty line.

In Brazil, the Bank is supporting the state of Sao Paolo to address water scarcity challenges by providing incentives to increase use efficiency and to treat wastewater, thus reducing pollution and improving water quality. The Sao Paulo Water Recovery (REÁGUA) Project disburses funds to participating water services providers (whether state or municipally owned) against agreed and independently verified results. By explicitly linking funding to the results achieved, the project shifted performance and financial risks from the government of São Paulo to selected service providers. The project directly benefited 97,400 people living in the vicinity of the five critical watersheds in Sao Paulo.

In Romania, under the World Bank-supported Integrated Nutrient Pollution Control Project rural communities around the country are being equipped with essential tools needed to improve livestock manure management and prevent nitrates and other dangerous minerals from contaminating Romania's soil and water supplies.
More results: Matanza-Riachuelo River basin Sustainable Development Project India National Ganga River Basin Project Lebanon Lake Qaraoun Pollution Prevention Project Togo: Urban Infrastructure Project Vietnam: Coastal Cities Sustainable Environment Project Management of Land-based Pollution and Remediation of Hazardous Waste Sites
Industrial activities often lead to an increase in exposure to chemicals and toxic materials and polluted lands. Though this is well known, lack of data tends to beget lack of attention. Accordingly, PMEH has worked to increase identification of toxic sites and research the health and economic impacts of these sites. By helping to identify toxic sites and create guidelines for data collection, the Bank is strengthening the link between toxic waste, on the one hand, and the economic impacts associated with negative health outcomes, on the other hand. Providing greater clarity about, and more evidence regarding, this link is crucial to empowering officials to make decisions to lessen the negative environmental outcomes of industrialization.

Recent analytical work conducted by the Bank, includes the identification of the types of industries contributing to land-based pollution in low- and- middle income countries and highlights knowledge and data gaps that have hindered a fuller understanding of land-based pollution. The work develops risk-assessment and risk-management approaches and tools for identifying, prioritizing, and mitigating land-based pollution in LMICs. The analytical work also included the development of a framework for uniform sampling guidelines and household surveys to support community health impact analyses associated with land-based pollution sources. The framework is applied to three industries that have been identified as key in LMICs: artisanal scale gold mining, used lead-acid battery recycling, and small tanneries.

The Bank's analytical work on land-based pollution has also supported the creation and improvement of the global toxic site database. The database will increase understanding of drivers of chemical pollution in LMICs. This database will also allow officials to make informed decisions on remediation interventions.

The Montenegro Industrial Waste Management and Cleanup Projec t is helping to remediate industrial waste disposal sites and ensure that hazardous waste from industries is disposed in compliance with Montenegrin and European Union legislation. The project supports strengthening of the regulatory framework and development of infrastructure to provide environmentally acceptable solutions for waste management.

The China: Hunan Integrated Management of Agricultural Land Pollution Project is demonstrating a risk-based approach to manage heavy metal pollution in agricultural land. The project is also strengthening agricultural environmental monitoring and management and includes training activities tailored to the needs of government officials, environmental monitoring staff, and farmers.

Similarly in China, the Zhuzhou Brownfield Redevelopment Project is showcasing a risk-based approach to remediating and redeveloping land formerly used for lead and zinc smelting and heavy chemical industries. As of December 2019, the project's remediation activities had directly benefited 85,600 people.

In Pakistan the Bank is financing a green growth project in Punjab that has included the implementation of waste management interventions. The project has supported reforms to modernize the legal and regulatory framework and promote investments in cleaner technologies at the provincial level to reduce air and water pollution from sectors such as brick making and leather tanning.

In Bangladesh, the Bank is supporting microenterprises to increase the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices. While production and revenues have decreased with COVID-19, there have been businesses that have managed to adapt to the crisis. For instance, some mini-garment microenterprises repurposed production to produce masks and other Protective Personal Equipment to meet newfound demand due to COVID-19.

In Morocco, the World Bank supported the modernization of waste management, including at sites like Oum Azza, near Rabat, where traditional trash-pickers now operate a recycling collective in improved conditions, and is supporting the development of carbon assets in the solid waste sector

In Egypt, the Bank is improving the management and disposal of targeted stockpiles of obsolete pesticides, including Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs).

Indonesia and Senegal are improving solid waste management services and will include financing of infrastructure for collection, transfer, treatment, disposal, and waste recycling/composting. In addition, interventions will help strengthen sector governance and institutional capacity, including support to ensure the sustainability of solid waste management operations.
More Results: China Contaminated Site Management Project Egypt Sustainable Persistent Organic Pollutants Management Project Indonesia Improvement of Solid Waste Management to Support Regional and Metropolitan Cities Project Lebanon Environmental Pollution Abatement Project Senegal Municipal Solid Waste Management Project Kazakhstan Kamenogorsk Environmental Remediation Circular Economy
The global economy relies on deeply intertwined supply chains, sustained by more than 100 billion tons of raw materials entering the system each year. Intensive material consumption causes not only natural resource depletion but also negative environmental impacts at every stage of the product life-cycle including production, use phase, and end-of-life. Moreover, global waste is expected to increase to 3.4 billion tons by 2050, some of which could be recovered as potential valuable resources.

Traditionally air, water and land-based pollution has been tackled after the fact, through clean-up efforts, but the solution must be in addressing its root causes. These lie in the dominant "take, make, waste" linear economy, fueled by large amounts of cheap, accessible energy and other resources, and producing goods that are designed to be disposable. The circular economy is a redesign of this approach, where industrial and natural resource-based production systems are restorative and regenerative by intention.

The Bank's engagement has notably involved the promotion of circular economy, resource efficiency, and sustainable markets in various sectors (such as textile and apparel, agribusiness, and construction materials) and eco-industrial parks (including industrial symbiosis and water circularity). A portfolio of 33 projects and an estimated US$3.5 billion in financing have supported reforms in industries, value chains, the tourism sector, entrepreneurship, small and medium enterprises, public-private partnerships, and utilities. More recently, efforts have promoted access to finance to pilot resource efficiency, cleaner production, and green growth to enhance competitiveness and jobs.

Fossil fuel subsidies also artificially lower the prices of energy and inputs, leading to higher consumption of subsidized goods, which in turn results in higher natural resources extraction, consumption, pollution, and emissions. Even though energy subsidies are often well-intentioned, they do not always benefit the poor or even the lower middle class. Wealthier people have bigger homes to heat, own more and bigger cars and use more energy. This means that in some cases, resources that were meant to protect the poor can end up benefiting wealthier parts of society instead.

The World Bank has helped to develop a framework that can be used by client countries to understand the linkages between fossil fuel subsidies and air pollution. The framework can help to estimate the air pollution and health benefits that would result from subsidy reform, thereby strengthening the rationale for phasing out subsidies to polluting fuels.

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In Bangladesh, the Bank is helping to improve air quality and safe mobility in Dhaka by strengthening air quality monitoring and modernizing brick making and urban transport. Carbon emission reduction credits generated with Bank support are helping to improve working conditions, to protect people's health and to provide better pay for workers.

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How Much Air Pollution Is Produced by Rockets?

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With economic activity poised to surge in space, scientists are reexamining how rockets might harm Earth’s atmosphere

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NASA Has Spent $20 Billion On Canceled Projects [Infographic]

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Twenty billion is nothing to sneeze at, though it's worth noting that the Department of Defense has spent over $46 billion in canceled weapons programs over the last decade alone. That's over twice what NASA wasted, in half the time.

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We should not spend valuable resources on space exploration. If we did not spend valuable resources on space exploration we would have a better environment due to less fossil fuels being put into the environment and we would care more about the Earth. The money that would have been used on space exploration could have been used to help people instead. That is why we should not spend valuable resources on space exploration.

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This article writes about how space travel is important to humans. It writes about how the affects of space have negative affects on astronauts. It also shows how this can be used to study the effects of ageing. It does have some valid points but why should we send people to space if it is hurting them? Why would space programs send people to space knowing what it would do to them? https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/bodyinspace  I found that this article shows a better understanding of what happens when a person enters space for a long-term trip. We should not send people to space.

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Space exploration isn't simply a sign of humanity's hubris or a brazen desire to find new places to live and new sources of wealth. If we take the risk of venturing beyond our terrestrial home, it's also to learn more about ourselves and our planet, improve life on Earth, and maybe, just maybe, find or create a new future for our children, says Walter Cugno, Vice President Exploration and Science Domain at Thales Alenia Space.
Why spend such vast sums of money on space exploration and missions to far-distant celestial bodies where most people will never go?

I'd answer that question with a quote from Goethe: "If you want to reach the infinite, then explore every aspect of the finite." Space is first and foremost a fantastic "playground" for scientists - an endless source of knowledge and learning that's helping answer some of the key existential questions about Earth's origins and our place in the Universe.

Space exploration allows us to prove or disprove scientific theories developed on Earth. Studying the solar system, for example, has brought us insights into such phenomena as gravity, the magnetosphere, the atmosphere, fluid dynamics and the geological evolution of other planets.

Scientists today are especially interested in dark matter and dark energy to better understand their role in the hidden mass and accelerating expansion of the Universe. This is the objective of the Euclid ¹ mission being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Does space exploration have any more practical benefits?

Many innovations in fields ranging from metals and alloys to biology and medicine are the result of space exploration. Some applications - like ceramic coatings in our kitchens, air purification systems, smoke detectors and scratch-resistant glass - are already part of our daily lives.

Materials tested in space, under unique conditions that are difficult to replicate on Earth, can help us to develop stronger, lighter, higher-performance products. One of the experiments conducted by French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet on the International Space Station (ISS ²), for example, involved testing innovative materials designed to prevent bacterial growth. These new materials have considerable potential for public health and safety applications in hospitals, public transport and the food industry. The current COVID-19 pandemic brings the importance of this kind of research into sharp focus.

Let me give you another practical example. Long-duration missions are tough on the human body. Astronauts suffer loss of muscle mass and bone density, as well as accelerated wear and tear on the circulation system. Monitoring them in space and after they return to Earth is a chance to learn about the effects of ageing and support research into conditions like osteoporosis.

Drawing on our experience in pressurised modules and orbital infrastructure, we're currently working on a habitation module that could be used in remote or hostile locations like polar bases, desert camps, military outposts and offshore oil and gas platforms.

So space is a crucible for innovation?

Yes, but it's much more than that. Space exploration is a driving force in our efforts to address the major challenges facing society today. It's educating us about our responsibilities to the Earth and its resources.

How is it doing that?

Astronauts have to survive on limited food, raw materials, sunlight, energy, water and oxygen. Most of the water consumed on the ISS, for example, is derived from urine and other recycled wastewater. So new techniques had to be developed to make sure it's completely safe to drink.

In 2015, for example, a Cygnus ³ cargo spacecraft carried a 3D printer into orbit to conduct tests under zero-gravity conditions. With this kind of printer, astronauts could eventually produce any spare parts they need directly aboard ship. In October 2020, a Cygnus craft delivered essential supplies to the ISS, including food, water, oxygen, propellant, and space parts. One of the many scientific experiments contained in the cargo module involves the testing of a drug that could be used for the treatment of leukemia. All these experiments being handled by astronauts inside the ISS will be re-used in the near future to improve not only the medical sectors, but many others as well.

The EDEN ISS project, meanwhile, aims to develop ways to cultivate food crops in extraterrestrial environments in order to provide food for the ISS and, eventually, for space exploration vehicles and planetary outposts.

Space travel is a great opportunity to test the circular economy. Based on the experience of astronauts, humanity can learn how to better conserve the planet's resources.

Space is the stuff of dreams for children and grown-ups alike. Extraterrestrial life and voyages through interstellar space have piqued the imaginations of novelists and filmmakers for decades.They seem to have a particular fascination with Mars. As a scientist, do you appreciate this more mythical aspect of space?

Yes, of course - and I love it. Like many other kids, I used to gaze at the stars on summer evenings and dream of voyages into space. I'm really lucky that my childhood passion has turned into a career.

I don't know if we'll one day inhabit Mars, or if science fiction will become science fact and confirm or disprove the tales of Aleksey Tolstoy, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick or Ray Bradbury. The Red Planet continues to fascinate, maybe because it's the closest contender for becoming a host planet - although it still takes seven to nine months to get there. In any case, this fascination with space exploration is helping drive great strides in our knowledge.

For example, the ExoMars ⁴ Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has been studying the composition of the Martian atmosphere for several years to look for traces of methane, a vital component of life, and determine whether it's of biological or geological origin. The TGO also serves as a communications relay between Mars and Earth. In 2022, an ExoMars spacecraft will be launched on a seven-month journey to the Red Planet. The aim of the mission is to land a a rover on the surface of Mars to search for signs of past life.

The Mars Sample Return mission ⁵, which is part of an international collaboration led by NASA, will bring back samples from the Red Planet to Earth.

How closely is Thales involved in these missions?

Through Thales Alenia Space, which is 67% owned by the Group and 33% by Leonardo, Thales is a pivotal partner in the most amazing missions to explore the solar system. The technologies we're developing give astronauts the autonomy they need to embark on long missions - missions that currently last over six months on the ISS and could last several years in the case of future crewed missions to Mars or other deep space destinations.

Moon exploration is also key, because it will serve as a forward base for human missions to deep space. Leveraging its long-standing experience in orbital infrastructures, robotics, space transportation systems and exploration, Thales Alenia Space has become a leading partner, providing 3 pressurised modules for the lunar Gateway space station. Gateway is one of the pillars of NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to land people on the Moon by 2024.

We are also providing the backbone of the spaceship that will take the next man - and the first woman - to the Moon, while studying an innovative human landing vehicle and future solutions to guarantee a permanent human presence on the lunar surface.

So space still inspires you?

It certainly does! Understanding the environment on other planets where humans may one day live, and studying our own biological systems and how materials behave when not influenced by gravity, are crucially important endeavours for our future - and space exploration is helping us to find answers to our questions.
1 Euclid is a science mission led by the European Space Agency, with Thales Alenia Space as prime contractor. 2 The International Space Station is an international collaboration between five space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe) and the CSA (Canada). Thales Alenia Space provided 50% of the Station's pressurised volume, equivalent to 40% of the entire ISS. 3 The Cygnus resupply craft regularly fly to the ISS carrying food, water, spares and science experiments. Thales Alenia Space makes the pressurised cargo modules for all Cygnus vessels. 4 ExoMars is a joint exploration programme between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos - with contributions from NASA - that aims to study the Martian environment, atmosphere and soil. It will lead to an massive data harvest that will feed scientists' research for many years to come. Thales Alenia Space is prime contractor on the ExoMars missions (2016 & 2022), leading an industrial consortium.
5 The Mars Sample Return mission will collect samples on the Martian surface and bring them back to Earth in 2031 for laboratory analysis. Thales Alenia Space will contribute to the Earth Return Orbiter, a key element of the mission.

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Exploring space to prepare for Earth's future

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Space exploration isn't simply a sign of humanity's hubris or a brazen desire to find new places to live and new sources of wealth.