Branson and Bezos Rides In Space: A New Era Of Innovation? Scientists Differ

Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos may be starting a new era of innovation. Now that these two billionaires have successfully gone to space, many people, politicians included, took to social media to ask why they’re not spending the money to help poor and struggling people on our planet. “It’s time to invest in working people here on Earth,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted. But there are scientists, like Dr. Alison Farrish, who are worried that the public’s views on the recent space journeys of billionaires will affect future opinions and budgets on space research. “My hope is that the public still sees value in scientific pursuits and the responsible exploration and study of space,” said Farrish, a native of Tolland, Connecticut who is a postdoctoral researcher in space physics at Rice University in Houston.