Is interest in spaceflight and space explorate a "gateway" to science?

[CmdrShepN7]

I have noticed after getting excited for space again I found myself being much less uncertain of "nuclear power" and "GMOs".

Was Neil Degrasse Tyson right when he said “NASA is a force of nature like none other”?

Or was it the circumstances that made me more supportive of science? That heat wave on the West Coast last year certainly got me interested in zero emissions power sources like "Fusion Power".

[FishInferno]

I think learning about one branch of science inherently teaches about the scientific method and other general concepts, leading to an appreciation for other scientific fields as well.

Space is indeed a gateway, but not the only one.

[Vahe231991]

I think learning about one branch of science inherently teaches about the scientific method and other general concepts, leading to an appreciation for other scientific fields as well.

Space is indeed a gateway, but not the only one.

Aerospace is a gateway to interest in spaceflight. For example, the book Beyond Blue Skies: The Rocket Plane Programs That Led to the Space Age makes the case that the flight test programs involving the X-1, X-2, X-15, D-558-1 Skystreak, D-558-2 Skyrocket, and Northrop and Martin Marietta lifting bodies weren't just research programs in their own right but instead precipitated the long-term development of the American Space Shuttle by gathering huge volumes of aeronautical data on supersonic and hypersonic flight in the highest stretches of the atmosphere, but also investigating the aerodynamic properties of the blunt-winged lifting body configuration that would influence the design of the Space Shuttle.

[dondar]

I have noticed after getting excited for space again I found myself being much less uncertain of "nuclear power" and "GMOs".

Was Neil Degrasse Tyson right when he said “NASA is a force of nature like none other”?

Or was it the circumstances that made me more supportive of science? That heat wave on the West Coast last year certainly got me interested in zero emissions power sources like "Fusion Power".

It was your effort to understand something which does require intellectual effort to  start to understand the basics and to appreciate the results. It was the result of learning.

"Nuclear power" is specific field and does  require nuclear scientists (so far all attempts to incorporate it into Energy disciplines was damaging which periodically led to catastrophic results. All failures can be traced to the decision trees corrupted by people not understanding the  physical processes).
GMO was an administrative scare and was a byproduct of how patents work. The key patents would ensure that only one company would monopolize the industry. Since the key patents expire the rage is gone.