Space Travel Synthesis Essay In America, space travel is a controversial issue that many discuss. Although exciting, some people find it unnecessary and a waste of money. There are also many risks associated with space travel and many issues are more important than space travel that should be focused on. There are ethical, diplomatic, and economic issues that need to be considered before making decisions about space exploration. Before making decisions on space travel, the most vital thing to consider would be ethical issues that need to be dealt with. In world history, there has always been a moral dilemma on stepping onto and taking over other people’s land and property. One problem would be what “a fair process for commercializing or claiming property in space” (Source I) would be. During English colonialism, there was “the moral permissibility of settling on lands already occupied by the indigenous people of America or Amerindians.” (Source I) When traveling to space, people are stepping into a foreign land which they do not own. Although some may say that space and planets, as far as humans know, have no inhabitants that own it, there are no problems with people taking it over. Just because space and other planets are not inhabited, does not mean that humans deserve it or own it. Humans already “do not have a very good track record in protecting [their] planet home. [People] have expanded human presence into pristine forests resulting in the disruption of migratory routes, soil erosion, and species extinction.” (Source E) Who is to say, that what humans are causing on planet Earth will not affect “the outer reaches of the solar system?” (Source E) Diseases are brought back and forth between countries all the time, one su... ... middle of paper ... ... resources. Once the ethical, diplomatic, and economic issues have been settled, then space exploration should be considered. It can expand human civilization, but it is not a necessity and can even be detrimental. Works Cited (Source I) Lin, Patrick. “Space Ethics: Look Before Taking Another Leap for Mankind.” Editorial. Nanoethics. N.p., 7 May 2006. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. . (Source J) Huebert, J H, and Walter Block. “Space Environmentalism, Property Rights, and the Law.” Editorial. ProQuest. N.p., 2007. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. . (Source K) Flowers, Sarah. “Understanding: Space Travel.” Rev. of Understanding: Space Travel. PoQuest. N.p., Aug. 2000. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. .
INTRODUCTION Attention-getter: “Space travel benefits us here on Earth. And we ain’t stopped yet. There’s more exploration to come.” (Nichelle Nichols from Star Trek) Credibility: Throughout our childhood as we study space, solar systems, planets we all come to a point of having the dream of exploring the space or learn more about it in the future.
As humans our desire to visit space has never ceased, but our scientific advances have so far only allowed manned visits to the moon. There are many political factors that influence the ongoing attempts to engineer space tourism and future missions to Mars. High costs and risks involved in spaceflight due to the longevity in space and the effects of cosmic rays have been many of the setbacks in making it a reality. The United States is currently unable to conduct human spaceflight after losing its capability to launch upon the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. China National Space Administration and Russia Federal Space Agency are the only two government facilities that continue sending humans to space. Should spaceflight agencies continue manned missions to outer space? Global issues among many other problems have been improved due to necessary collaborations made in the name of science and exploration of foreign territory; revolutionary innovations have been engineered in order to secure the safety of astronauts, and our environment has been harmed in the process as gases that break ozone molecules apart are released into the stratosphere.
Space is the final frontier, but many people ask what considerations we should act upon when claiming it. When Neil Armstrong first stepped on to the moon people around the world cheered in awe of the impossible. The Space Race had brought about a competition between the super powers of the world, Russia and the United States, in order to complete a political and scientific endeavor. However, in the rush of who could put a man on the moon first, between two fiercely democratic and communist nations, some issues were put aside to be dealt with after the initial infancy of space
In making decisions concerning space exploration, there are many issues and planning that need to be addressed. Space exploration is a serious thing and there needs to be a thorough thinking process on what is going to occur and backup plans in case anything happens. Leaving earth requires a good amount of work and expense, but in today's time we need to start thinking about these issues since on earth we are having serious problems such as the disappearance of the rainforest, the pollution of the oceans, an increase in desertification in some areas, and major climate changes. Now space exploration is a necessity.
With all the problems we have on earth and how much we don’t know about our own planet we shouldn’t be colonizing others. We may have the science but we don’t have the funds. We also have tons of willing people but not enough physically and mentally able to colonize a planet. Children are starving all around the world, People are homeless, and wars are starting. Humankind needs to achieve some sort of world peace before trying to explore space. Also, humans will end up destroying life if we try to colonize an
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.
This topic is important because this is our future. This is the nations money, should we be willing to spend this money for knowledge or should we be using this for issues here on Earth? We explore or we do not explore. We send live beings to space or robots. The Space, Policy, and Society Research Group Massachusetts Institute of Technology stresses the importance of space flight when they say “The recent Bush vision gives a representative set; search for habitable worlds away from Earth, possibly leading to the discovery of present or past life on other planets, develop a new technology; inspire children to study and seek careers in science, technology, engineering, and math; and symbolize American democracy to the world.” The essence of what they are saying is space flight is important to us as a nation because it aids in discovery, the inventing of new technology, and it inspires children.
Humans have dreamed of leaving the earth and traveling space for many years, and up to this day they have taken many steps in the right direction. Yet, with every new frontier they approach, new problems loom over the horizon. All problems involved with space exploration may not directly involve space itself. Many of those problems surface right here on Earth. Some of the easier issues have been resolved, such as escaping the forces of gravity to reach outer space. More of these problems are far more arduous and the solutions need more time to be worked out properly. In “The Coming Schism” by James E. and Alcestis R. Oberg, humans have already begun colonizing space, yet there are still new problems arising. Major problems such as financing, communication and culture conflicts are important in the journey to space, because they all have the potential to disrupt progress.
As such, this essay will argue that space exploration is a necessity of our kind and that NASA should be progressively more financed. To begin with, space research has helped bring several developments to modern science, affecting the quality of our everyday lives. With issues like climate change, and population overgrowth, our species faces the risks of major extinction (4). Climate change has been a man-made problem in recent years that threatens our planet. It will take huge mitigations from current and future societies to even come close to reversing climate change.
It has always been a part of human nature for a man or woman to be curious of their surroundings. First it was what is beyond those mountains; then what is beyond that ocean, then the sky, under the sea, and in the 50s, 60s, and 70s it was space and the moon. Our ancestors and the early civilizations were strongly focused on explorations and expansion. Even notable historical figures were primarily focused to either expand their empire for increased power and fame like Julius Caesar, or to explore new lands for rich booty or possible colonization like Eric the Red. We are doing nothing out of the ordinary by wanting to explore the vast expanse of space first hand. We are curious what is out there. Is there life? Is there a world out there that can sustain human life? As curious beings, we must at least try to answer these questions. If not for man taking personal initiative to answer the question left before him, we would not have a Columbus or Lewis and Clark. Manned space flights instead of robotic crews bring this human element of curiosity to the table.
Space is unimaginably vast, and the problems keeping humans from mastering the exploration of and colonization of space is equally daunting. Impressive advances have been made within the past century, and dedicated efforts to make equally impressive strides in the next hundred years are in place. Space research will not yield resutls overnight, but the information obtained along the way will have a positive impact throughout the scientific community and the world's population in turn. With a goal of extraplanetary habitation, humans can prepare protective measures for neutralizing danger and managing resources underwater, in space, and on land, domestic and alien. The scientific and cultural unity required to reach this goal has the potential to propel mankind as a species and farther through the stars than ever imagined.
Space exploration can lead to the possibility to find useful resources throughout the galaxy for human gain. Many severe problems on earth could be solved through space exploration such as world hunger, overpopulation, and dwindling fuel sources. Things such as fuel could be harvested from planets for power generation and propulsion technology, and land to cultivate for growing food, as well as land for building living areas for the growing population. These potential resources...
“Sheltered as we are by Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, which deflect lethal radiation from space, we are like coddled children who have never ventured into a tough neighborhood” (Folger 2). Humans have been fascinated with space since the beginning of our time. Just like children and rough neighborhoods, we have tackled obstacle over obstacle to make it home again. In the end, we have a better knowledge and strength than before. The future of space exploration can assist us in answering the everlasting question of how the universe came to be. The more we explore the infinite galaxies, the more we can scientifically discover and create new technologies as science advances. As we continue to discover, we can create new fields and occupations for aspiring young students like myself.
An Astronomy topic that has always been intriguing is space travel. The ability to rocket into space, look down on Earth, and “…explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before” (IMDB) is an adventure that people dream of experiencing. On July 20, 1969, an estimated six million people watched Neil Armstrong become the first man to walk on the Moon (Nixon Library). Presently, people are paying Virgin Galactic $250,000 to reserve a seat on a spaceship that is expected to tour suborbital space in the near future (Virgin Galactic). Although space travel continues to be of interest, there is also some controversy. Controversies include: the allocation of government resources for space exploration, government verses commercial spacecrafts, and the need to colonize other planets for the survival of humanity. The intrigue and the controversy of space travel are the reasons for this Astronomy conversation.
Space has always been a pivotal and utmost important subject for many years. In the past, scientists have made monumental advances in this field such as sending people into orbit and landing a man on the moon. Of course, this has only barely been explored and we still have a lot more to see of the ever-vast outer space. One of the most significant topics of all of science has only been touched and there’s still more to come.