Space program beneficial to all

The launch of China's fourth manned spacecraft Shenzhou-IX has made the nation proud, although there are some who argue that the money and resources would be better spent on improving social welfare and people's livelihoods. However, the technology developed for space will have spill-over effects in daily life, and will boost economic growth and people's lives eventually, says an article in Qilu Evening News. Excerpts:

These are progresses that really deserve praise: the fourth manned flight, the first female astronaut Liu Yang and the successful completion of the space rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong-1 module that is currently orbiting the Earth.

China's space exploration cause has always been a focus for people's attention, especially nowadays when there are so many intractable social and economic issues facing the country. That is why some netizens have called for the huge concentration of resources to be prioritized for creating better living conditions on the ground, rather than space exploration, which requires an astronomical investment over a long period.

For ordinary people, Shenzhou-IX is not as closely related to their daily lives as affordable housing or environmental protection projects, but it is wrong to set space exploration and social welfare against each other. China, with its increasing national power and international responsibilities, is doing the right thing for both its long-term national interests, as well as the common interests of all human beings.

Moreover, the space program will yield fruits that will bring solutions to social issues. For example, measures adopted this time to deal with astronauts' osteoporosis and muscular atrophy are likely to be used in the near future for patients, and many well-known goods and services like microwave foods and weather forecasts originated from space exploration.

The Apollo moon landings, which cost the United States $240 billion, brought more than 500 high-tech patents that transferred into 3,000-plus technical achievements. Today, it's an international consensus that every dollar invested in space will eventually pay back $ 7-12. Even more importantly, the space program is crucial for China to develop its technological strength in the face of intensified international competition in all industries.

(China Daily 06/20/2012 page9)