Prioritizing Earth: Mankind's Environmental Obligations before Space Exploration

“That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” were the now famous and iconic words or Neil Armstrong as he became the first man to set foot on Earth’s moon. The advanced research mankind has made to further their understanding of the vast, astronomical unknown of space has opened up numerous doors of opportunity to fathom the universe, but not without drastic repercussions. With an estimated 1% of all Earth’s species becoming extinct each year, humans should spend their time and technology on protecting Earth before venturing outside it’s atmosphere. “...[W]e do not have a very good track record in protecting our planet home,” (Source E). Mankind tends to turn a blind eye to immediate environmental dilemmas in favor of gazing at the stars. For example, pollution, global warming, and deforestation are much more pressing matters that humans should be doing everything they can to find a solution for instead of trying to figure out how big or bright a star is that’s 20 trillion miles away from Earth. Consequently, until mankind can solve the

That risk should not be one that people are willing to take. On the other hand, many people believe that there are no other life forms in the universe; Earth is the only planet to sustain life. However, although it has not been determined whether or not Earth is the only planet in the whole universe to host life forms, many scientists speculate that other planets in the Solar System exhibit traits required to contain life. Additionally, these hypothetical life forms could be “infectious… germs,” (Source F) that no one knows the effects of. Therefore, when coming back from outer space missions, crew members are quarantined and equipment is sterilized. This is done to ensure no alien life forms can infect Earth and cause harm (Source