Why Space
I have a fourfold philosophy about space: Exploration, Inspiration, Development, and Peace.
Exploration is a necessity of science. To develop a greater understanding of the natural world is not only an innate and fundamental part of human existence, but it drives the search to solve ever bigger and more complex problems.
Solving these bigger and more complex problems requires a serious drive or in other words, it requires Inspiration. Space is an incredibly exciting field and can enthuse the youngest child to the oldest elder. Space engineering not only inspires generations to turn to STEM fields, but by achieving the "impossible" in space, it prompts others to become inspired to solve the "impossibilities" in their fields, from medicine to social justice to climate science.
Development is again, tied right into this idea of pushing the envelope and the cutting edge. Many technologies and solutions that were developed for space have become invaluable parts of everyday life, from GPS to artificial limbs to insulin pumps. Furthermore, many space agencies explicitly serve the purpose of aiding the Earth and its people, such as the soil moisture and ice monitoring satellites that help farmers adjust to changing weather conditions, scientists to quantify, qualify, and study these changes, and governments to address them.
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Finally, for Peace, turn to the Apollo-Soyuz joint mission of 1975 - it was the height of the Cold War and the two world superpowers set aside their differences and spent months planning and executing an unprecedented mission of collaboration in space. Working through incredibly complex challenges brings people together from all varieties of backgrounds, whether that be someone hailing from a rival nation or simply someone of a different gender or race. Space can heal divides and open up new possibilities and we must pursue this aspect of space fervently. I hope and plan to use space to bring up and help the people of the world, while developing the most diverse, kind, and happy workforce as possible.