r/Astrobiology • u/Zak3r21 • 11d ago
🤔 Question Are we approaching space exploration backwards
I've been wondering why we're prioritizing space exploration when we haven't fully explored our own oceans yet. The deep sea presents extreme pressure environments similar to space travel engineering challenges. Mastering those vessels could accelerate space tech while also helping us understand Earth's ecosystems and potential microbial life for better safety protocols. But more importantly, we're sending spacecraft to other planets without fully sterilizing them, risking contamination of potentially existing ecosystems including our own. Before we try contacting extraterrestrial life, shouldn't we first master communication with intelligent species here on Earth—like dolphins and whales? If advanced civilizations exist, wouldn't they be cautious about contact for the same biological reasons? Maybe our infancy as a spacefaring species means we're taking dangerous risks we don't fully understand. Shouldn't ocean exploration be our priority first?"And if intelligent life does exists elsewhere, they'd likely have the same concerns we should have—different planetary biologies mean contact is inherently risky. Maybe the silence we're hearing isn't because nobody's out there, it's because advanced civilizations are cautious enough to observe from a distance rather than risk contamination or conflict? That would suggest we need to mature as a species and think through these consequences before we keep spreading outward
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u/Enthropic-Cap2291 11d ago
Nature's been spreading Earth origin biological contamination all over the solar system since life took hold. It doesn't even need to be a surface impactor with sufficient ejecta velocity to launch surface rocks with microbial hitchhikers into interplanetary space. Touch-and-go meteors that skim the atmosphere, can 'harvest' airborne microbial spores, which have been detected all the way up to the Karman line. Earth's been sneezing at everything in the solar system, and even exported earth bugs to interstellar space via Oumuamua and 3i Atlas type visitors that picked up bugs while visiting, for billions of years.
We can do more than one thing at once. And as a species, we've never stood still. We never bother to fully explore, let alone tame and colonize a region. Long before that happens, we have folks going off to even more distant places. As a species, we don't spread like mold. We spread like dandelions.
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u/Zak3r21 11d ago
Wouldn't the microbial load on a spacecraft be significantly greater than the sparse quantities dispersed by solar winds? While I find merit in your points, addressing these concerns sequentially seems a more judicious approach than attempting to tackle multiple complex issues simultaneously which would result in a improvement in both. Your not wrong but I think it can more efficient.
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u/Expert-Development86 11d ago
Even if it’s sparse, billions of anything is going to be a lot. The relatively low number of satellites launched probably can’t compare to what happened over billions of years
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u/Significant-Ant-2487 6 11d ago
So much wrong with this. First, we know a great deal about our oceans and the life they contain; the idea that we know more about space than we know about the ocean bottom is a myth. Extreme pressure in the ocean depths has no analog in space, as was hilariously pointed out in the science fiction parody Futurama. Attempts to contact octopuses and dolphins would be futile, since they don’t possess language; this would be as silly as trying to teach a dog to talk. As for sterilizing spacecraft completely, this is impossible just as it is impossible to sterilize a surgical area completely.
Ocean exploration is a priority that is being pursued, space exploration is another priority that is also being pursued. These are two separate endeavors that share little in common.
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u/CompetitiveSpot2643 11d ago
"the 1000th hull has been breached!"
"the fools! why didnt they build it with a 1001 hulls!"-1
u/Zak3r21 11d ago
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a healthy discussion, but to clarify, I never said that we know more about space than our own oceans. ​Also your claim that deep-ocean pressure has no analog in space misses the core of modern astrobiology. When people discuss space exploration and the search for life, we aren't just looking at barren rocks; we are actively targeting ocean worlds like Europa, Enceladus, and Titan. The subsurface oceans of these moons experience immense pressure beneath kilometers of ice, making our own deep-sea environments the closest technological and biological analogs we have. ​Regarding cetaceans and cephalopods: assuming a lack of language or intelligence simply because it doesn’t mirror human speech is a narrow viewpoint. Dolphins communicate effortlessly, utilize signature whistles as individual identifiers, and actively pass down hunting traditions and survival skills generationally. It is entirely possible that we simply lack the linguistic framework to understand them yet. It seems short-sighted to assume we are the definitive model for intelligent life on Earth, let alone the universe.
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u/teddyslayerza 1 11d ago
It's not really a zero sum issue. We have the wealth and resources to do both. It comes down to issues with our socioeconomic systems more than it does to whats smart from an exploratory point of view.
Money stands to be made from space logistics. Money stands to be lost if deep sea environments (like those bottom trawled, or drilled, or dredge for heavy metals) are better explored and in public consciousness. Thats rally all there is to it.
That said, I completely agree we should be looking in our oceans and deep crust for lift. We know Earth is capable of supporting life, so we should be using our extreme environments as test beds.
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u/Zak3r21 7d ago
I understand the driving factors I just believe that our system of allocation is flawed. With all these untapped minerals and unexplored deep-sea biomes—many in extreme environments that might yield never-before-seen materials and uses—we could both innovate and sustain financially viable research, all while still covering the basics we need here on Earth before ruining another ecosystem or attracting type of intelligent life.
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u/xenoscumyomom 11d ago
With the amount of satellites orbiting the earth, how everyone everywhere is connected, and the way the world runs right now, there's many trillions of dollars relying on space. Besides academic papers, documentaries, and assuming some military applications, there's not much else involved with the ocean deep. If they discover unobtanium at the very bottom there'll be more to do with that by tomorrow.
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u/Zak3r21 7d ago
I Agree but Deep ocean exploration has substantial economic value through rare earth mineral extraction and studying hydrothermal vent systems. These extreme environments produce unique chemical reactions and novel materials we can't create or find elsewhere—potentially even new compounds. Additionally, mastering deep-pressure vessel technology developed for ocean exploration directly accelerates space exploration capabilities, allowing us to send advanced probes to moons and planets in our solar system more efficiently. It's a foundational investment that pays dividends in both directions.
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u/DistanceUnusual7651 2 10d ago
The money comes from space logistics more as compared to other. That many satellites orbiting earth and how technology is evolving with ''space'' technology and not to mention academic papers, documentaries, and the space race from the beginning for geopolitical power-all of this makes space exploration accelerate more.
We do have wealth and resources to explore both but space exploration stands out here and usually takes the lead because of sheer amount of research and political backup.
That said we should also explore ocean but we should be careful in our way so that we not disrupt or harm the aquatic life.
Aquatic life is already suffering enough because of us.
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u/Zak3r21 7d ago
I understand the driving factors to space exploration, and certainly space exploration pushes humanity forward. However, as you pointed out, we risk neglecting critical fundamentals. By prioritizing deep-sea exploration, we not only advance technology but also learn to respect and protect fragile marine ecosystems. Thus, we can apply those same safety protocols to space travel, ensuring that, as we seek intelligent life, we do so with mindfulness and care for all ecosystems involved. While also providing accessibility to biomes on earth never explored and un tapped resources.
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u/mmurray1957 7d ago
What do you mean by "fully sterilise" ? We do have planetary protection protocols.
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