The Benefits of Space Exploration

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Aside from all the negative remarks made about space exploration there is lots of innovation stemming from it. Exploration of space has directly and indirectly helped create new technologies and advancements that have directly benefitted our lives. The challenge of space exploration drives a continuing effort to design ever more capable, reliable, and efficient systems requiring the utmost ingenuity. Space exploration missions use the unique capabilities of humans and robots to achieve ambitious exploration goals. Maximizing these capabilities of humans and robots for the productivity of these missions drives progress in human health care, robotics, automation, and other domains. (International Space Exploration Coordination Group, 2013, para.22) A vast amount of technologies such as GPS navigation, weather, cell phones, are all things that would not have been possible without technologies created for the exploration of space. The truth of it is that every step forward we make in space exploration not only advances our knowledge of the Universe, but also it shows us the new height human innovation and technology can achieve as a result of this. (Jessa, T, 2009, para.3) We in our everyday lives are surrounded by a vast amount of technologies developed for space exploration. For example, the artificial heart resulted from experiments on the space shuttle and a partnership with renowned heart surgeon Dr. Michael Debakey. The hand held Jaws of Life used to save victims from car wrecks originated from the system used to separate the space shuttle from its booster rockets. Even the insulation that keeps our homes warm and energy efficient is based on the technology used to insulate the space shuttle." (Jessa, T, 2009, para.4) There a... ... middle of paper ... ...l 25, 2014, from http://www.users.miamioh.edu/lefflenl/proscons.html Space Policy and Coordination Unit (2010). Space exploration and innovation. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/space/files/policy/final_technopolis_report_en.pdf Spacewatch Detection of PHAs [Graph]. (2010, May 27). Retrieved from http://http://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/swceaa_081231.png UMD Space Physics Group (1995, May 26). ISAS | space science between US and Japan / international cooperation. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/e/about/ic/iacg.shtml Weart, S. (2008, May 13). History of contributions of planetary studies to the science of climate change. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153521/ Wilson, J. (2007, November 23). NASA - Shuttle-Mir. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle-mir/

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