Exploring into the vast lands of the universe used to be something people would put into movies and books- it was science fiction. Now with the developments in science and technology we have seen around the world, space exploration has become a reality. We have put a man on the moon, created an International Space Station for astronauts to live, and discovered other planets and galaxies millions of lightyears away. These are monumental achievements for the human race and I believe that there are a significant amount of benefits that we can gain from further space exploration. However, I also believe that there are many cons associated with space exploration. It is no secret that we will eventually run out of Earth’s natural resources. Additionally, …show more content…
our human population is exponentially growing and in time, we will run out of food, space, water, etc. The potential need to find another planet to inhabit once the Earth is no longer a viable living environment is an important driving factor for space exploration. Scientists in NASA are actively trying to find a way to send humans to Mars. Mars is an attractive destination for space and human exploration because of its similar formation and evolution. For over 40 years robotic explorers have been studying Mars and gathering information about the Martian environment. It is believed that in its past, Mars had conditions suitable for life. Missions like the Mars 2020 rover will launch in the future to look for signs of past life. Space exploration can unlock other options for when we run out of resources. Curiosity and the thirst for knowledge are fundamental human qualities. Naturally, humans have been questioning space and the universe for thousands of years. Space exploration allows us to gather new information about one of our greatest mysteries and wonders. Having knowledge about the universe and its components can potentially lead us to new discoveries about our own Earth. Knowing about how the universe was created can lead to a greater understanding of the laws of nature. Likewise, the human desire for adventure and new experiences is thoroughly satisfied through exploring into space. Exploring the universe will help solve some of the greatest mysteries known to man. Although space exploration is a great and exciting development in science and technology, it is extremely expensive.
To simply put a single pound of material into an orbit near Earth costs around $10,000. The International Space Station alone costed around $100 billion. In total, since NASA’s creation in 1958, NASA has spent over $900 billion. That equates to about $16 billion each year. With all of the economic issues and debt that we face today, I do not believe that we should continue to fund space exploration to the extent that we do. I still believe that we should continue to work towards expanding our space missions, but I suggest we spend less money in this area than before. We put more money and energy into exploring space than we do in exploring our own oceans. I believe we should learn everything there is to know about our own world before we go off spending hundreds of billions of dollars on exploring other worlds. Over 70% of our Earth is made of oceans yet we know next to nothing about their depths. Additionally, we need to spend this extra money in trying to remedy the inflation, budget deficits, and other economic issues that our country is faced with today. Space exploration has its benefits but the opportunity costs suggest that the money should be spent
elsewhere. Another serious con to space exploration, specifically involving humans, is the effects it may have on human health. For example, astronauts no longer walk once they get into space, causing the bones to break down and release calcium. This leaves them with very weak and brittle bones. Similarly, certain muscles in the back and legs can weaken or atrophy due to their non-use. With the possibility of sending astronauts on a trip to Mars, many more health risks arise. The journey to Mars will take over a year. That means these astronauts will spend over a year in long-term isolation with limited mobility. The psychological effects that this could have include depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Radiation also poses a problem. Astronauts in space are exposed to rapidly traveling rays like galactic cosmic rays and solar flares. This kind of radiation can be damaging to their cells, leading to an increased risk of cancer, damage to the nervous system, and decreased immunity. The deleterious effects that space has on human health need to somehow be mended before we further in our space exploration. While space exploration has numerous advantages and pros, I believe that the high economic costs and the potential health risks are too great. We have made enormous achievements in space in such a short period of time. I think that slowing down our space exploration and focusing on our world and its issues is a great idea. We will save money, resources, and potentially lives if we wait until we have more money and knowledge about our world.
Space exploration needs advancing scientific research, more machineries and equipments which means that it would cost us a lot of
The word race is defined at its core as a competition between runners, horses, vehicles, boats, etc. to see which is the fastest in covering a set course. Well, interestingly enough, a race of a different kind occurred between two countries from the years 1957 to 1969. The competition was unclear, and the opponents were on two entirely different continents, not something as simplistic as two horses. The United States and the United Soviet States of Russia both set out as arch rivals in the “Space Race,” a quest for dominance beyond the known Planet Earth. Ironically enough, just as communism was spreading to all parts of the world, the United States always sought to squash this form of government, despite somewhat dire consequences. Now, with
Knowing the impermanence of the Earth, do humans have a moral obligation to find and
Although, like many projects, financial support is needed in order to provide the materials necessary for furthering our education. According to source C, only four cents of every dollar goes toward education, this needs to change. Space could help us solve challenges we face in our world today while overcoming unknown complications we may face in a new environment. Through space exploration we are putting money toward a "research and development, salaries, benefits, doctors, teachers, scientist’s… corporations and businesses both large and small. (Source A)" In fact, space satellites have inspired numerous scientists to find new ways to cut emissions while conserving energy, overall working to stop global warming and preserve the life of our world along with the human species. Funding is vital in order to expedite space exploration and provide our scientists with superior machines. Many do not realize this is not just a "silly research project,” it is a cause that not only benefit our generation, but many generations to
Colonizing Mars, it seems like a distant achievement. Some say impossible, some say it will happen soon. Since Elon Musk has entered this field of exploration colonization of Mars has seemed even more plausible. Still, problems have surfaced to make this much more difficult than it has to be. This makes some believe this to be impossible or unlikely for the time. Despite what side you are on we can both agree that we want to advance in space exploration.
As a country we need to start investing more money and research into space technology. Programs currently exist for this effort, but the potential for research and progress is limited by a lack of funding; compared to other government funded programs, aerospace funding is pitiful. Continued research in space technology is a necessary step in our growth and development not just as a country but also as entire human race. If we are to achieve this goal, it is necessary to increase funding for space research and technology and consider the possibility of colonizing outer space. If we limit our existence to the planet Earth, and continue to drain the resources on this planet, we will destroy the only home we have.
NASA has made great advancements, we continue to explore the vast solar system filled with magnificent sights. There is so much more out there, from black holes to some of the biggest stars coming to the end of their life cycle. With all this out there waiting for us why don't we pursue all the possibilities out there, all the knowledge and advancements we’d gain would be significant. We must continue to fund these space exploration projects to see all that there is to see. We would discover there’s more to space than we think maybe more the the life cycle of a star or more to nuclear fusion. It's important that we expand and explore to find a new planet, one day this planet will die and we need somewhere to go and something to do, if our species wish to live on. Its also paying off in many other ways. Technological advancements you see today like your phone was possible through space exploration even though you may not think of it. The space programs have made huge advancements in our world such as more fire resistant clothing and, car interior. We went from having a 70 pound micro computer with just 40 KB of memory (Less than a GB, Less than a MB(Which is 100 times smaller than a GB) so it's 40/1000 of a MB) Today we have 1 TB(1000 GB) flash drive the size of your thumb in just about 40 years. Allowing us to miniaturize
Carl Sagan once said “every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring--not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive... If our long-term survival is at stake, we have a basic responsibility to our species to venture to other worlds.” The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA, is executing Sagan’s words every day. President Dwight D. Eisenhower created NASA in 1958 with the purpose of peaceful rather than military space exploration and research to contribute to society. Just 11 years after the creation, NASA put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon, the first humans to accomplish this feat. NASA’s research and innovation looked promising but it came at a cost. Money, resources, and spacecraft accidents most famously Apollo 13 all hindered NASA’s research. In the 21st century the debate between funding for NASA is at its peak since the birth of the organization in 1958 especially when there are numerous problems throughout the world. Is the money spent on space exploration worth the advantages and advances it contributes to society?
The main argument against space travel says that the money used could be better put on other matters. This is in fact very untrue. Looking at NASA’s 2015 budget of 17.5 billion, it may seem like a lot, until you realize that the US military budget for 2014 was 581 billion dollars (5). Furthermore, it was estimated that each dollar in NASA’s budget was equivalent to 8 – 10 dollars of economic benefit (6). If an organization can bring about economic value at 10 folds the original budget, it would be logical to continue funding it, if not increasing the funds. Even if we disregard the economic value of the space program, the achievements of NASA speak for themselves. The ability to send humans onto the moon, survey the surface of Mars using the Curiosity rover, and even finding water on a foreign planet is astounding. Even looking at the International Space Station, it seems abundantly clear that the space program brings more unanimity between nations than the military will ever hope to achieve, while the military has a budget 33 times that of the space program. Hence, blaming the costs of the space program is an absurd argument, as the budget that is put into the program is used very
Space has been a topic of discussion since the dawn of man. We have made attempts to explore the near reaches of our solar system, mainly to examine the components of other planets compared to Earth. Space exploration has been slow since the beginning because of the technological barrier, but now that we live in the “Age of Technology” we can develop more advanced mechanisms to aid in our endeavors. We have never had an enormous use for space exploration, until we started to discover the natural resources we have on Earth are being drained by the vast population we have created. Just like every ecosystem on the planet, Earth has a carrying capacity of its own. If we reach this number or keep collecting resources at the same rate, we will exhaust the resources on Earth then there will be no chance of life to flourish as it has for centuries. Deep space exploration is essential to the advancement of mankind because it will allow us to develop new technologies, discover new worlds and resources, and potentially extend the existence of humans in the universe.
Technology has been more advanced than ever in the 21st century and by the many advances, space exploration was made possible. However, there are certain limitations in the realm of costs. Even though space exploration has many benefits such as new explorations that help us understand the world better, many are questioning are if whether or not the spendings for such benefits are worth the cost. Even though providing for space exploration might be costly, there are much more benefits of it that can be put into perspective. Space exploration could help us understand the human body more through advanced technologies, an improved economy, and it could help prevent further damage to our environment.
The 1960's brought new advancements for all of Earth. Machines and men were sent into space, and this sparked a new government agency, called NASA. Space was a new frontier, and virtually everyone was interested in exploring it. Over the years, the interest in space exploration has weakened, and NASA was almost terminated from existence, although there have been many advancements in it over that time. Space exploration should continue because it could help solve many problems on Earth, such as overpopulation and lack of resources. Exploration of the final frontier must continue in order for human life to continue.
Most people think that the costly downside to funding space exploration is a reason to avoid spending money on sciences and instead spend it on problems here on earth, but such funding for space exploration actually promotes economical as well as scientific benefits. Space exploration is an important expenditure for the high cost because of the potential for numerous benefits such as the possibility to find useful resources to cultivate, space exploration and satellites produce many thousands of jobs in our economy, and it creates and discovers newer and better technologies through research and development.
Space exploration is very beneficial to humankind because it creates new technologies, it brings different countries together, and gives people a better understanding of our Earth.
Some may think exploring outer space is simply a human’s curiosity. This is true but on the contrary, people explore to learn about things they may have never known and touch on the essence of the creation of the universe. Another reason for exploring this uncharted area is the technological advancements people have made and immense amount of innovation they have achieved in this field (Wood). Lastly, scientists study the other planets just in case one day humans need to relocate after overwhelming damage has been done to Earth. Suffice to say, it is a vital part of today’s day and age to research outer space (Rothery).