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Space

Science

Tony Milligan

The other space race: why the world is obsessed with sending objects into orbit

Earth Elon Musk Mars

A white capsule with two solar panels is seen floating in orbit above Earth in space.

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Beyond the race for scientific, commercial and military purposes, there is another space race of a more curious sort. A race to be the first to send various objects up there. But why?

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