Should Money be spent on Space Exploration?
Space exploration is the investigation of physical conditions within the stars, moons and the planets, galaxies, comets and any other thing outside the space through the use of artificial satellites and space probes (Klerkx 2). Technology requires substantial amount of money for several reasons. Despite using a lot of money in exploring space, there has been a little achievement, except for a bit of advanced technological knowhow that would probably have come by other means; hence the huge debate on whether or not to spend money in exploration. Various individuals argue that sending funds into the space is a misuse of resources. On the other hand, another group considers discovery of the solar system as a splendid recreation activity of man.
Arguments For
Exploration of the space has the potential of discovery of the yet undiscovered facts about it (Klerkx 6). It has high potential to resolve mysteries surrounding the outer space. This may bring dramatic change to individuals’ lives. In addition, exploring space brings together several smart people from different fields of sciences across the world and put them to work on very difficult problems. This leads to fantastic science discovery and useful inventions.
Moreover, exploration of space gives an appetitive for human adventure. In the modern society, humans visit and settle in every part of the world. Their instinct to explore is still active but there are limited outlets. Space remains the final frontier and calls for exploration by everyone. Several brave persons in life like to take risks (Klerkx 8). Exploring the space helps in discovery of new minerals and other precious materials. The modern world rapidly runs out of resources, and exploring the space may serve as a future investment. There might be new human-like species that exist in the outer space. The creatures might be better developed and evolved than ordinary human on earth. Space exploration may serve as a breakthrough to a new world. It might take individuals by surprise to get astounding growth and development of the living creatures is the outside space.
Arguments Against
The greatest argument against space exploration is based on the amount of money spent in the research (Broniatowski & Weigel 149). The amount of money spent in exploring space can be used to eradicate poverty in the developing and the underdeveloped nations. World anger spends more than $30 billion in a year (Broniatowski & Weigel 150). For instance, if the average amount of money ever used by NASA of $780 billion was used in the fight against the world hunger, nobody in the entire world would be hungry for 26 years. Therefore, the amount of money spend in exploring the space can be used effectively rather than exploring unknown places that lack capacity for human life.
Crawford (4) points out that there are many problems such as depletion of rain forests and pollution of oceans and seas in the earth, and they get worse day after the other. If climatologists can spend this money, it can have a lasting benefit for the humanity. Additionally, the mission to the space poses a great risk to the astronauts traveling to the space (Crawford 6). Individuals who move to the space face harsh conditions and challenges themselves to adapt to unfriendly surrounding. Unmanned operations and use of android systems like robots in exploration of the space serve as a remedy to the life’s risk. However, using robots means introduction of another new technology, thereby increasing costs (Crawford 7).
As individuals aim at gaining surprise, they may also face greater troubles. Something lethal to the life on Earth may be found in the Space. This might extremely harm the living creatures on earth. Space exploration may lead to discovery of dangerous microorganisms existing in space, which are dangerous to the human life.
Works Cited
Broniatowski, David A., and Annalisa L. Weigel. “The Political Sustainability of Space Exploration.” Space Policy 24.3 (2008): 148-157.
Crawford, Ian A. “Dispelling the myth of robotic efficiency: why human space exploration will tell us more about the Solar System than will robotic exploration alone.” arXiv preprint arXiv: 1203.6250 (2012).
Klerkx, Greg. Lost in space: The fall of NASA and the dream of a new space age. Random House LLC, 2005.