Have you ever wondered why NASA exists? What’s the point of spending millions on space exploration when we have so many problems at home?

A Wired article notes that the New Horizons probe, which set out for a 10 year mission in 2006, had a price of $650 million. The probe will use its many instruments to study Pluto after which it will travel further. However, it is far from the farthest object from earth. The Voyager 1, which was launched in 1977 is the farthest man-made object and will continue to send information back to NASA until 2030, when its electrical instruments will no longer function.

According to NASA, its goal is “To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind.” Think of NASA as an investment. Many years from now humans may have to seek another place to live in the solar system. Furthermore, NASA provides for valuable research that helps us understand who we are as human beings.