Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) argued that NASA’s space investments have produced life-saving technologies on Earth, challenging the idea that space exploration comes at the expense of solving problems closer to home.
NASA Space Research Drives Medical Breakthroughs
On Sunday, Kelly made the case for NASA funding in a post on X, recalling the criticism he often hears about spending money on space.
"The pushback is always the same: why spend money up there when we have problems down here?" Arizona Democrat wrote.
He added, "Here’s the thing: we’re solving problems down here by exploring what’s up there."
Kelly cited research conducted during his 2001 Space Shuttle Endeavour mission that studied bone loss in microgravity.
He said the research contributed to the development of Prolia and Xgeva, drugs used to treat bone loss in cancer patients.
"People are alive today in part because we went to space," Kelly said.
He also pointed to NASA technology that was adapted into a monitor warning heart-failure patients of potential crises and a portable blood-testing device designed to address medical challenges for astronauts traveling far from hospitals.
NASA Satellites Support Rescue and Disaster Relief
NASA-supported search-and-rescue satellite technology has helped save more than 63,000 people worldwide since 1982.
He also said NASA Earth-observing satellite data helps World Central Kitchen map disaster zones to distribute food and water.
NASA Drives Space Industry Growth
Earlier, NASA selected Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio for the Artemis III mission, with Bob Hines named as backup.
The mission was part of NASA’s effort to return humans to the lunar surface.
Meanwhile, space-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) surpassed $5 billion in assets under management, with assets doubling since the start of the year and rising more than 900% over the previous year.
The Tema Space Innovators ETF reached a record $2.6 billion, with SpaceX accounting for 7.5% of its holdings.
Redwire Corp. (NYSE:RDW) shares also rose after NASA awarded the company an additional $4 million for drug development research targeting diseases including cancer, osteoporosis and obesity.
The company had also supported a cancer therapy study aboard SpaceX’s Crew-12 mission using its PIL-BOX platform.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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