A return on discovery

The article argues that the true value of spaceflight lies in what it returns to Earth, and that space pursuits should be judged by whether their benefits reach people broadly. It draws on Buckminster Fuller's 1969 definition of wealth as the capability to sustain healthy regeneration of the planet's population, and it describes the scientific case made by Carl Sagan's comparative planetology. It cites BioOrbit, whose orbital antibody crystals could enable at-home cancer treatment, and Orbital Paradigm's reusable reentry capsules as examples of return-focused work.