To Infinity and Beyond!
From the discovery of fire by ancient ancestors to modern space explorations, it has been curiosity and the pursuit for a better future that has made humanity explores the vast, never-ending space. As Neil Armstrong once said, “Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man 's desire to understand.” Curiosity, exploration, reaching new heights, discovering new things, and unraveling the deepest mysteries is core part of human characteristics. Is space exploration really desirable at a time when so much needs doing on Earth? It is a rather often-asked question by many Americans. However, before one can criticize the efforts in space, regarding monetary efforts, one must take into consideration how the human species have advanced. Indeed, Space exploration should be funded because of the importance of the Mars programs and new technology.
“As the U.S and Soviet Union entered into the Cold War in the late of 1940’s, the idea of “preparedness” was central in both nations, leading to a decades-long arms race, one thread of which led to Sputnik and the 1960’s space race 1957”(Collins 13). The result from such a competitive arms race marked the beginning of a new age of technology. In particular, the search for new life in the boundless, three-dimensional outer space has always been a tentative debate. From humble beginnings, astronomy has developed into a broad science that not only offers an understanding of the sun, moons, planets, starts and
As humans, we are born with a natural desire to learn and discover. With space exploration, we are able to do just that. In an online essay called “Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost”, Dr. Joan Vernikos,
Space, some may call it the final frontier. Space exploration is the trend I will be discussing. Space exploration has been around for a while however, it has become more of a reality than science fiction. Also in the past few decades there has been little progress made, compared to the past 8 years. The need for space exploration began as a competition and a few decades later people from around the world are sharing information on their findings of space. This trend is happening everywhere, countries around the globe are launching space missions, as well as certain companies. The following is from an academic source, proving that space exploration is a trend. “Right now, various active probes—most of them American, the rest European and Asian—are on interplanetary trajectories or already on the surfaces of other worlds” (Oberg, James. "International and Private Competition Benefits Space Exploration." Space Exploration). This quote shows how countries around the world are participating in space exploration and it also shows how this trend is still happening today. In this paper, I will discuss and analyze the trend of space exploration and prove that it is beneficial to society.
The concept of space exploration was first introduced to the American public in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy famously stood before congress and vowed that America would put a man on the moon “within the decade.” With hopes of defeating the Soviet Union in the “Space Race” and gaining a leg-up in the Cold War, NASA funding reached its all-time high in 1965-1966 when about four percent of the federal budget was devoted to exploring space. Since then however, funding dedicated to exploring space has nose-dived to about one-half of a percent of the federal budget (Tyson), with plans to cut that figure by an additional $260 million in 2017 (cite NASA funding cuts). Experts in the space-sciences field argue that increased funding in space exploration would re-ignite the American economy and return America to the scientific prominence it was once known for, while, on the other end of the spectrum, naysayers suggest that exploring space is an economic sink-hole that the United States can no longer afford to deposit to given its own earth-bound troubles.
In even the most primitive civilizations, the extra-terrestrial has had immeasurable influence on society. Mankind has always had an urge to explore the great unknown, and answer the most fundamental questions of our existence. Space exploration deserves not only to be a top priority in our nation, but much more funding than it already has, because it is rooted with history that has taught us many things and will continue to do so, it will help us advance technology beyond the scope of commercial innovation, and it can answer the greatest questions that every civilization has tried to answer.
Three main clusters that are developed under this idea of space exploration is the benefits that are gained, ethical code and what it means with regard to the future of the human race. In this paper I will talk about what major projects are being worked on and who will benefit from these. This will also include what laws of space are and ethical code. This will also identify the differing viewpoints on space exploration and whether the big picture is worth the small steps being taken as to advancements in space technology and sciences.
Space has always been an unknown to the humanity, and therefore humanity has in insatiable desire to know as much as possible about the area beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Exploring space can lead to many new and exciting discoveries such as (see hubble, planets, kepler, moon rocks etc). When the United States first entered the realm of space in the [1960s], NASA had much funding. However, the motivation of this funding was not for science – it was political, as the government was determined to beat Russia in the Cold War Space Race. Today, as there is no political motivator as great as the Cold War, NASA is faced with a lack of funding and must make hard decisions. They must decide between the adventure and excitement of sending manned missions
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. Some of these problems arise right here on Earth. Some of the issues have been resolved, such as escaping the forces of gravity to reach outer space. Most of the 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, they posit that humans can colonize space. Humans need to buckle up and build the technology which will help to solve problems that would arise to
The amount of accomplishments America has achieved in the area of space research is staggering. We have sent man to the moon, landed rovers, and discovered uncountable celestial bodies just by telescope! There are many benefits of space exploration, making it absolutely worth the cost. Some of these benefits are creating new beneficial jobs, and expanding our knowledge. While some argue there are drawbacks to space exploration, I think that the benefits outweigh these drawbacks. In addition, we desire to explore the unknown. As Georgia Douglass Johnson said the the poem “Your World”, in stanza 1 “Your world is as big as you make it”. This means that we can do whatever we want, as long as we’re determined.
As humans, a necessary part of our psyche is exploration. However, numerous trials are confronted when it comes to space exploration. While it remains vital that humans explore this great expansion, one must consider the issues that occur. After all, what is more important, space exploration, or our continued existence?
Space travel has become a growing event in the world and has assisted in advancing our knowledge as well as providing information about the solar system. As the human race continues to grow, the need for resources continues to grow as well and finding new places to inhabit as well as being able to find new resources is becoming more important. The issue that needs to be addressed currently is the air quality onboard the space habitats, stations and vehicles. There have been advancements in that section, but new challenges arise that have negative impacts on the crew. Despite these issues, however, there is not an immediate need to stop space exploration as long as these issues are being worked on.
Mankind has always been fascinated with exploring the unknown. From sailing to distant lands to someday setting foot on other planets, the spirit of exploration is the same. Bur now with the current economic situation and the high cost of sending people to space, NASA is being looked at as a way to free up some much needed funds. Although, there is many problems here on planet Earth that need addressing, the benefits of space exploration far out weight the disadvantages. Space exploration has given us more advanced technology, advances in the medical field, and a boost to the economy and these facts cannot be disputed.
In the early 60s, President John F. Kennedy led America into a space race against the Soviet Union. American men and women across the nation backed this goal, allowing NASA to take great leaps in advancing its space exploration programs. This unified nation fulfilled its goal, and Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. However, since then, America’s space exploration has only declined. Funding for NASA has been drastically cut, thus greatly limiting the opportunities for exploring the cosmos. Understanding and exploring the universe is detrimental to the advancement of the United States and opens the door for vast possibilities. If the government chooses to limits its own advancement, then that responsibility must fall
The mysterious vastness beyond Earth has allured many scientists to explore and contribute much of their effort to the understanding of space. Although humans have been looking up at space for thousands of years, the physical exploration of this frontier has been only going on for the past few decades. Our current understanding of space is unparalleled to any time before in our history, but we still only know a small fraction of what there is to learn. Governments around the world spend about $40 billion dollars a year (Rockefeller, 2010) hoping to undertake tasks such as “human exploration of the solar system” to discovering the origins of life itself (Tatarewicz, 2009, p. 531). Recently, the private sector has also shown interest in space exploration in order to engage in profitable activities such as harnessing minerals from asteroids. Although it is easy to debate about the benefits and negatives of space exploration in its entirety, it is simpler focus on one aspect of it - the direct effect it has to those down on Earth. Rather than trying to decide whether or not going to other planets is worth it, this paper will argue about the value of the terrestrial benefits of space exploration. It is an important topic to think about as programs such as space exploration change lives and help acquire knowledge. Despite the large costs associated with space exploration, the multitude of discoveries in the past few decades has greatly improved daily life on Earth, the jobs the
Humans have always been interested in space and the wonder in which it may hold. In the past, humans worshiped the stars as if they were gods while also studying their position to give them guidance for their lives. Their interested in space has fathered the desire to know more. Today, space has been seen by many as the new frontier or the home beyond earth. Society have even taken a step forward through the creation of stories in books and movies based of the idea of humans living in space and the present of alliances. Yet there is still controversy on the need to continue space exploration when our own planet has so many detrimental problems. There is an ongoing debate on whether not the money used for space travel could be better beneficially use for other causes. It is true that space exploration costs billions of dollars a year alone according to NASA current budget, which is constantly increasing. However, what many refuses to understand is that without space exploration many of the innovations that we have today would not have existed. While there have been, many failed attempts involving space exploration that has caused a tremendous amount of money to go down the drain. However, many people fail to realize the benefits of space exploration and the possible future it may
Space exploration refers to the exploration and discovery of outer space’s celestial structures by means of the ever-growing space technology, which is continuously evolving. Space physical exploration is conducted by using unmanned robotic probes. Human spaceflight is also used for space exploration. The history of space exploration dates back to the 20th century when the world’ most powerful states such as Russia and the United states scrambled for superiority. Space exploration therefore became a sense of pride and extreme manpower leading to development of space vehicles, which attempted to reach space. The space exploration programs were conducted by government space agencies mainly of the United States and Soviet Union due to the sensitivity and huge finances involved. With time, private organizations began to purchase and offer space launches, laying ground for private space flight. Satellite radio, communications satellites, astronaut transport, satellite television and sub-orbital space tourism comprise the Earth orbit’s private space lift.