I’m listening to a podcast about the potential for life of some kind on Venus (due to the recent detection of phosphene gas). The scientists are calling for an investment in comprehensive missions to Venus at a cost of $billions. What’s the return on that type of monetary investment?
In: Technology
There is probably very little direct monetary return on the investment. The return value of scientific missions is usually measured in the discoveries they are making. This may at some point in the future have some monetary value but that is the wrong way to look at it. If we send another mission to Venus we might be able to find more about its atmosphere and how these gasses that were recently discovered is formed. What data we return and what discoveries we might find is down to the equipment, the mission profile and what is there to be discovered. So there are lots of options for future missions and we can not say exactly what the return will be but there will be returns on the investment and the more we invest the more scientific discoveries will be returned.
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