NASA scientists are intensifying their investigation into a vision disorder that affects 70% of astronauts on long-duration space missions, as new research reveals the condition poses mounting risks for future Mars exploration 1 2. Space- Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS) causes crew members to experience blurred reading vision, swollen optic discs, and flattened eyeballs that can persist for years after returning to Earth
Definitely not anti space sentiment, to clarify. I love the space program and funding it fully with public dollars has historically led to massive returns in scientific discoveries we use daily. Memory foam, aerogels, paints, etc. I’m just venting about the people (who I’ve talked to irl) who hype space so hard they disregard how important it is to look back towards our mother planet before we set our dreams on the next. IE “So what if Earth has problems, we’ll just colonize Mars” without acknowledging the inherent and extreme environmental challenges that exist in that unknown that don’t exist on our shockingly perfect little flying rock we have here.
I hear what you’re saying. To be fair though, it’s never too soon to start thinking about the future. And from my perspective, the future in space looks very bright indeed.