00:00Space, the final frontier. People across the northeast have been given their views on the
00:05Artemis space program as the debate continues over how public money is spent on space exploration
00:10compared with pressures closer to home. The mission has renewed interest in lunar exploration
00:15but also raised questions about relevance and priorities for everyday life.
00:20There's a lot of research comes out of these missions in science, technology, research,
00:26for medicine so it's going to just help the local ecosystem immensely.
00:31Well I remember watching the moon landings back in 1969 so yeah to me if you get to the moon
00:39that's it you've done it. There's no space race anymore is it? I mean apart from that the Russians are
00:45doing it. Whether the Chinese are doing it I've got no idea but yeah I think it's done just to
00:52be quite honest.
00:52Artemis is NASA's program aimed at returning humans to the moon for the first time in decades
00:58with international partners supporting the mission. While the project's seen as a major
01:03step in space exploration it also comes at a significant cost running into billions across
01:08its wider development. Against that backdrop people in the northeast have been asked how they view
01:14spending on space compared with pressures on household budgets and public services.
01:20I think it's exciting for people who's interested in things like that.
01:25But not for you. Not for me.
01:27If you had the chance then would you go into space? Would you go to the moon?
01:30No. It's just never interested me.
01:35Yeah I would. I'm not great on heights but I would do it yeah for sure. I think exploring is
01:41in
01:42it's in my DNA and you know there's a lot to explore not just here in the earth but in
01:47the universe and
01:47we can step one step to the moon and beyond. It'd be great.
01:52Well I mean you just walk on the street of Newcastle you can see homeless people and whatever and
01:56you know all these food banks and you know money can be better spent and stuff like that in my
02:02opinion.
02:03Yes. Loved the fact that it's possible and that they saw the dark side of the moon.
02:11Probably a bit of a waste of money in my opinion.
02:14I think with all the problems in the world at the moment maybe the money could have been elsewhere.
02:19The money elsewhere maybe.
02:20Yeah.
02:20I've always thought that I got the Cold War battle to get to the moon first and that was astonishing
02:25but
02:2750, 60, 70 years on whatever it costs billions and the planet's dying. I don't quite know why they're doing
02:33it.
02:34Yeah I think it's it's it's it's it's different now isn't it it's like you know you're going to
02:38rock it and you know you can go up there for a couple of minutes and and you know spend
02:42millions
02:43on that well I think these millionaires should be spending a lot more money on better things and
02:47going up in the space.
02:51As interest in space exploration continues the debate over its cost and purpose is likely to remain part of
02:56wider discussions about public spending and priorities.
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