God knows what you think this has to do with als research and development.

If a small fraction of the money wasted on this had been channelled into finding a cure for als then there probably wouldn't be a disease or a forum.

millstones, some of my thoughts are that space exploration can benefit ALS patients in a number of ways . . . imagine living on the Moon, with 1/6th gravity, getting about might be much easier and falling less of a worry. The dramatically different gravity field could effect the way that ALS disease processes work, which might give us a epiphanic insight - seemingly unprecedented in ALS research. From a raw material point of view, data accumulating from space research is growing at an exceptionally fast rate, which may help ALS patients have something to do (analysis). Most directly on this particular mission, my thoughts are that the associated robotics may help strengthen wheelchair R&D so that ALS patients might be better served by such products. Though much of this does not directly contribute to ALS understanding . . . there is very little research money directed at ALS that has yield a 'big' find (one that actually produces a benefit ALS patients can enjoy in the here and now). Most results have given improved insight into what is going on but we remain all but powerless to do anything about it.