Preventive Investment: A Small Price for Life

Investing in asteroid detection is a minimal cost when weighed against the potential catastrophic impact of an asteroid collision. With a budget of $150 million per year for detection, the cost translates to roughly 1.9 cents per person. Considering that deadly asteroids strike Earth approximately once every 20 million years, the average investment over this period would be approximately $370,000, a relatively small amount compared to the societal expenses associated with saving a human life, which can be valued at over $11 million by various agencies. This highlights the critical need for preventive measures against rare but devastating events, underlining that financial resources allocated for asteroid detection may represent a fraction of the cost of inaction.