cons of space exploration essay

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Space exploration pros and cons: Are space programs a waste of money?

Source: Image : ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA  

Space exploration is a hugely expensive affair. Should we spend money on space exploration when we have so many problems on planet Earth? We debate the pros and cons of space exploration and the reasons for investing in space agencies and programs. 

Should we spend money on space exploration?

The launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket into has brought back media attention to space exploration . Elton Musk's private aerospace company is in the process of becoming a major player and a partner for many space programs. However, most of the efforts to discover whats out still depend mostly on public funding. 

Space exploration is costly, and many argue that in times of belt-tightening, we should focus on solving problems here on Earth, especially since the knowledge gained from space exploration has few immediate benefits. On the other hand, pronponents of space exploration argue that the knowledge to be gained is invaluable, and that it is in the very nature of humankind to explore. In addition, proponents of these programs argue that they have had significant benefits and resulted in the discovery or popularisation of many useful new technologies . Furthermore, space exploration could be the only way to escape  human extinction in case living conditions become unsustainable on Earth.

Today there are six big government space agencies with the capacity to create, launch and recover satellites: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ), Russian Federal Space Agency ( Roscosmos or RFSA),the China National Space Administration ( CNSA ), the Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ),  the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) and the European Space Agency ( ESA ) which integrates several European space agencies. Among them only NASA, ROSCOSMOS and CNSA have full capacity for human spaceflights and lunar soft-landing.  In addtition to these there are many other government space agencies with variable capabilities, most of them have only the capacity to operate satellites, a few of them also have launch capabilities and can operate extraterrestrial probes. Some of these space agencies are competing to be the first to send humans to Mars  and investigating if there is intelligent life on other planets .

These space programs and agencies are very costly. It is estimated that the total annual budget of space agencies is $41.8 billion. Among them the highest budgets correspond to:

• NASA (USA, $19.3 billion)
• Roscosmos (Russia, $5.6 billion) 
• ESA (Europe, $5.5 billion)
• CNES (France, $2.5 billion)
• JAXA (Japan, $2.5 billion)
• DLR (Germany, $2 billion)
• ASI (Italy, $1.8 billion)
• CNSA (China, $1.8 billion)
• ISRO (India, $1.2 billion)

Are all these costs justfified? Are there better ways to spend public funding? Should we mainly rely on private investors such as Elton Musk to promote space expliration? Will capitalistic incentives lead the way towards space exploration? In order to help make up your mind we outline next the most important benefits and problems of space exploration.

Space exploration pros and cons

• Knowledge generation.  Thanks to space exploration programs we are discovering many things that help us understand the universe. For instance, learning about planets, comets, stars, etc. can help us find solutions for some of the problems our civilization will face, such as overopulation  and the need to colonize other planets.
• Exploration and discovery are beneficial. Humans have always engaged in exploration to satisfy their sense of curiosity and look for opportunities. During the Age of Discoveries in the 15th and 16th centuries, countries such as Spain and Portugal heavily invested in expeditions, but thanks to them they became super-powers and gained many riches. Later, during the second age of explorations in the 18th and 19th century, the discoveries of pioneers such as Captain Cook or Livingstone heavily contributed to scientific discovery.
• Artificial satellites are crucial tools in modern society. For instance they are used for defence purposes and to fight against terrorism. Satellites help us also monitor the effects of global warming  and detect wildfires. Space agencies are necessary to operate satellites.
• Scientific advancement and by-products. Space exploration programs help introduce and test new technologies. Much of the research carried out to find solutions for space travel have applications elsewhere. For instance NASA research has contributed to develop velcro, fire-resistant materials, medical devices to relieve muscle and joint pain, new precise thermometers, artificial limbs, new air conditioning systems, land mine removal systems, improved radial tires, etc. 
• Space race may save humanity. Life on Earth may be threatened by climate change, pollution, depletion of resources, infectious diseases or nuclear war. Further, space exploration is necessary to find another planet on which humans could pursue their lives. Space programs help also find solutions to adapt human lives to the space or other planets.
• Space industry jobs. The space industry employs directly about 120,000 people in the OECD countries and 250,000 in Russia.
• Few direct benefits to space exploration . True, space technology has helped us launch satellites and introduce many useful products, but do we need to keep pushing forward? The direct intellectual gains from learning about far away planets or satellites such as the moon can hardly compensate the costs. Historical exploration on Earth allowed collect and trade resources. Bringing resources to Earth is not possible with the current technology.
• Space travel is hazardous.  Many lives have been lost in space expeditions. Space missions are very dangerous and can often cost lives and stress to the families of the astronauts or cosmonauts. Should highly qualified professionals and scientists risk their lives traveling outside Earth? 
• Failure is common. Many of the space exploration fail. Probes and satellites crash, exploration robots are lost, rockets blow up in the air, etc. It is frustrating to see how so much money and time are wasted in unsuccessful missions.
• Danger of establishing contact with alien life. One of the main goals of space exploration is to find out if there is life outside Earth. However, establishing contact with other civilizations can be extremely dangerous and could jeopardize human life. If we flag our existence to technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations, we may be somehow exposing ourselves to their attacks and invasion. The wanna-be colonizers could be colonized. Primitive life-forms such as virus and bacteria could also provoke epidemic diseases.
• New source of international tensions. The space race is not over. There is a growing international competition to be the first in fulfilling some challenges in space exploration. Sovereignty over other planets and satellites, and over their resources, will become a controversial issue. With the advancement of technology domination of the outer space may tip the balance of power on a bipolar or multipolar Earth.
• Priorities and opportunity costs.  Even if there are benefits to space exploration, spending so much money and effort in reaching other planets is highly questionable. That money and brain power could be used to solve other more important problems for us. For instance governments could invest much more to prevent global warming, reduce crime rates and find a cure for cancer or Alzheimer's Disease.

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11 Pros and Cons of Space Exploration

We’ve put boots on the moon. There are plans in the works to put boots on Mars in this generation. Small spacecraft, such as Voyager 1, have traveled more than 138 AU from our planet since launching, with the goal of discovering what interstellar space may have in store. The pros and cons of space exploration let us explore the final frontier that we currently know. It allows us to see what the universe offers beyond on our planet.

Exploring space is also inherently dangerous. Not only is space a vacuum environment that does not support human life without protection, but we do not know what may be lying in wait for us out there. The conflicts we have here at home could be minuscule compared to the conflicts that may be waiting for us in the stars.

Here are some of the key points to think about when looking at this debate.

What Are the Pros of Space Exploration?

1. It provides humanity with hope for the future. Humans are currently confined to a single planet and facilities that orbit it. Should something happen that changes the environment of the planet, it would have the potential of wiping out the entire human species. A large asteroid, the star going nova, or even a shift in the planetary climate could devastate humanity. Space exploration gives us the chance to begin colonizing other locations, giving us hope that our species can survive.

2. It increases our knowledge. There are many secrets lying in wait to be discovered in space. Asteroids or planets may have new materials that we don’t have on Earth. We can discover more about how the universe was created and why it exists in its current state. These discoveries could then help to improve life on our own planet as we seek out others to explore.

3. It drives innovations in numerous fields. According to the 100-Year Starship Program, the technologies that were created for and made possible because of space exploration have helped to shape, permeate, and are an integral part of who we are today. To travel the stars, we must be able to store large quantities of energy. We must develop closed-loop support systems. Advances in agriculture, computing, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing must happen as well. The framework needed to explore space improves the socioeconomic frameworks we have at home.

4. It can be something that we do at home. According to information provided by the Goddard Space Flight Center, there are over 2,200 active satellites in orbit around Earth right now. One of those satellites is the Hubble Space Telescope. This technology has allowed us to explore our solar system from right here at home. In 2017, this telescope discovered that a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt, name 2007 OR10, has a moon that was previously unknown.

5. True space exploration requires international cooperation. The foundation of how we explore space was created in 1966 with the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. It’s easier to call it the “Outer Space Treaty.” By 2017, there were 105 countries who had signed onto the treaty and another 24 who have signed, but not yet ratified it. This treaty forbids placing weapons of mass destruction into orbit, installing them on the moon, or any other location in space. The treaty also disallows any nation from claiming a celestial resource as a national appropriation.

6. The political structures of managing space exploration are already in place. According to Wired, a multistate body that is supported by 193 nations approves the orbits of items that are currently in space. It is called the International Telecommunication Union and it has been in place since the 1960s. With their protocols helping to create a push deeper into space, exploration could become a future way of life.

What Are the Cons of Space Exploration?

1. It could allow other civilizations to know about our own. The idea of finding alien life has been a concept explored in the medium of fiction for more than a century. There is something comforting about the idea that humans are not alone in the universe as a species. That knowledge could come with a price. If an advanced civilization encountered one of the gold-plated records on the Voyager crafts and decided they wanted our planetary resources, we might be unable to stop them. There is sometimes more danger in being part of a community than living by yourself without any neighbors.

2. Exploring space is a costly venture. In 1973, the total cost of the Apollo program was reported to the US Congress as being $25.4 billion. The total cost of the space shuttle program, when adjusted for inflation, was $196 billion. Each mission that was flown came at a cost of $450 million. The Mars One mission budget to bring just 4 people to Mars is over $6 billion. Even as technologies advance, the costs of exploring space are far from cheap.

3. We must consume resources to get people or equipment into space. There are high fuel costs required to launch anything into orbit. Using the US Space Shuttle program as an example, the total mass of all propellants was over 3.8 million pounds. Fossil fuels are refined to create these fuels, used in the manufacturing processes to create the equipment or vehicles, and this creates an environmental cost which must be paid at some point.

4. Exploring space means we’re leaving a lot of litter behind. According to information provided by NASA, there are more than 500,000 items of debris that are currently being tracked as they orbit our planet. This space junk is litter that is flying at a speed of over 17,500 miles per hour, which means an impact could do great damage. Now expand the amount of space junk that exists to other planets or solar systems and the amount of litter we would leave behind is quite enormous.

5. No agreements are in place for rich resources that may exist in space. The current treaties which govern space exploration forbid governments from appropriating territories in space. The amount of materials in a single asteroid could be more than $100 billion. Planetary Resources has evaluated an asteroid called “Davida” to be worth $100 trillion or more. Although the US has brought back hundreds of pounds of rocks from the moon without litigation, there would be a greater fight in grabbing resources that are in the hundreds of trillions of dollars.

The pros and cons of space exploration highlight the current rifts we have in society. Governments are restricted and private organizations with the most resources have the chance to make huge profits. If those profits can be funneled toward a mutual good, then humanity can do more than just survive. It could thrive.

33 Main Pros & Cons Of Space Exploration

“Space exploration is a force of nature unto itself that no other force in society can rival.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Scientist

Advantages & Disadvantages of Space Exploration

Space exploration is a rather controversial topic.

While the majority of people think it is a good idea to explore space, there are also opponents of space travel who claim that space exploration may potentially wipe out humanity in the long run.

In this article, the pros and cons of space exploration are discussed in detail.

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Advantages of space exploration, space exploration can provide humanity with additional resources, space travel may help us to find extraterrestrial life, we may find other planets to colonize, humans are curious creatures and need to explore, space exploration can offer almost endless opportunities, many countries already noticed the importance of space exploration, technological progress will facilitate space travel, it has been the dream of many people to explore space, also private corporations can help with space exploration, we as humans recognize the relativity of life, we can learn humility, colonizing other plants may help to mitigate the overpopulation problem, scientists from all over the world can work together, can help us to install satellites, helpful to create maps and pictures, we can collect important research data, may help us to detect serious threats to our earth, space travel may become available also to private persons, space exploration may speed up technological progress, space travel industry provides many job opportunities, may help humanity not to go extinct in the far future.

One important advantage of space exploration is that it gives humanity the opportunity to exploit additional resources in outer space.

As many of us know, our fossil resources will become depleted sooner or later and when we run out of natural resources , chances are that our technological progress will suffer significantly.

Hence, if we want to continue to progress as a species and want to develop our technologies forward, the additional resources that can be extracted from asteroids are crucial in this regard.

Space exploration can also help us to find extraterrestrial life, at least if it really exists.

The idea of extraterrestrial life is fascinating for many people around and in order to improve the chances to get contacted by those life forms, it is crucial that we leave as many traces as possible in space.

Always remember that space is huge and that it will be not easy to find each other.

However, through space travel, we could at least increase the chances to get in touch with other extraterrestrial life forms a little bit.

Another benefit of space travel is that we may also find planets that we could colonize in the near future.

Yes, there are already plans to colonize Mars.

However, colonizing Mars implies many important problems and scientists are not sure yet whether Mars is really a promising option when it comes to populating other planets.

Therefore, we may have to search for other planets that are better suitable for colonization and space exploration is crucial in this regard since only if we explore space, we will find these additional colonization opportunities.

In general, we as humans are curious creatures and want to learn and explore.

In fact, when we take a look back at human history and see where we are now, we realize the enormous technological progress we made over the past centuries.

This indicates how big the human drive to invent new things really is and we as humans can only be happy and satisfied if we are the best versions of ourselves.

Consequently, space exploration can give us the opportunity to really move forward as a species and to satisfy the need to always progress and extent our knowledge.

Space travel also gives us the opportunity to always experience and explore new things.

In fact, space is so big that we as humans will never be able to explore all of it.

In fact, the size of our universe is enormous and gives us almost endless opportunities to always make new findings.

Indeed, scientists believe that we as humanity only scratched the surface of what is still to explore out there and we may know little to nothing up to this point in time about how the universe really works.

Space exploration is not only important for humanity as a whole, it is also crucial on a country level.

In fact, many countries around the world have already noticed how important space travel really is and try their best to conquer space and to claim territories up there.

Many people might not know it yet, but space provides us with pretty high amounts of resources and the country that conquers those resources will likely have quite a lot of power over the next decades and centuries.

While it was quite hard to explore space just a few decades ago, it has become much easier thanks to our technological progress.

We now know much more about the dynamics of rockets and space stations and the risk related to space exploration is much smaller compared to the significant risk that had been present in the past.

Since our technological progress advances at rapid speed, chances are that space travel will become even easier and more cost-efficient in the future.

Many people who have seen science fiction movies are also quite keen on exploring space.

In fact, many people think that it is our human duty to do our best we can in order to explore space and to learn about the dynamics of our whole universe.

Hence, space travel can also make this collective dream of many people come true.

At our current state of the world, not only countries, but also private corporations engage in the space travel market.

In fact, the United States currently rely on private space missions since they abandoned their own space programs in the past.

However, if private space corporations can help us to achieve our space missions, this can be a great way to improve our overall chances for success of space missions in the future.

In fact, the space travel market is huge and many other companies may enter this market sooner or later.

In turn, chances are that the resulting competition will benefit humanity as a whole since space companies will be more eager to invent new technologies and to make processes much more efficient.

Another upside of space exploration is that we as humans can realize our place in the universe.

In fact, we often think that we are the center of everything and that we are the superior species in our universe.

However, through space travel, we soon realize how big the universe really is and that we are indeed just a tiny grain of sand on a big beach.

In turn, many of us will realize how relative life is and that we are not superior in any kind of way.

In turn, we will also be able to learn a great level of humanity.

In fact, it is astonishing how small our earth really is compared to other planets, stars, galaxies or even the whole universe.

By realizing this fact, many people who currently have a rather arrogant attitude will be more likely to change their minds since they will realize that we are actually apes that don’t really know what’s happening around us.

Space travel can also help us to reduce our overpopulation problem .

In fact, until the end of the 21 st century, the number of people on our planet will likely exceed the 10 billion mark.

However, it is yet rather unclear how we are able to feed all those people.

Hence, it is crucial to look out for proper alternatives.

If our planet will no longer be suitable to provide for us, we may have to colonize other planets.

Sure, this will be a long-term goal and will not be feasible in the near future.

Yet, it can make sense that we look out for suitable alternatives to our earth in order to feed as many people as possible in the long run.

Space exploration also provides a unique opportunity for scientists all over the world to work together for a bigger goal.

In fact, in order to make space travel missions successful, we need the smartest people from all over the world.

Those people have to exchange their ideas to invent new technologies and to make space travel more efficient and also safer.

Space exploration is also quite helpful for rather basic things.

For instance, space exploration can help us to install satellites in space so that we can access different TV channels.

Hence, space exploration can also be helpful to make our daily lives easier and more fun.

Space exploration can also be helpful to provide us with nice pictures of our planet and of the universe.

Moreover, it can also be quite helpful to create 3-D maps that can be accessed via the internet.

By creating those maps, we get a better impression of the structure of our earth and of its location in our universe.

Space exploration is also crucial to provide important research data to leading scientists from all over the world.

In fact, the more data we get, the better we will be able to understand how the universe works and what is still missing for a comprehensive understanding of how the cosmos actually works.

Another important advantage of space travel is that it allows us to detect serious threats that could potentially wipe out humanity.

For instance, through space exploration, we may be able to detect a meteorite that is on collision course with our earth.

In turn, we could take measures to prevent this collision.

However, this will only be possible if we detect the meteorite in time and therefore, space exploration can be crucial to prevent catastrophic disasters in the future.

Space travel is not only accessible for astronauts on official missions, it will also become possible for private persons in the near future.

In fact, there are companies out there who will offer space travel for private people.

This also implies that not only astronauts, but also private people will be able to see the true beauty of space, at least if they have the money to do so.

Space travel is not easy and needs plenty of technology in order to be successful.

In fact, over the past decades, numerous important inventions have been made.

Those inventions have not only been beneficial for space exploration, these technologies had also been important to facilitating our daily lives.

Thus, inventions from space travel can also indirectly benefit the general public.

The space travel industry has become increasingly important over the past decades.

In fact, in our current state of the world, numerous jobs depend on this industry and chances are that many additional jobs will be created in the field of space exploration in the near future.

Space exploration also has the big goal to protect the human species from going extinct in the future.

In fact, our Earth will likely not provide us with a suitable living space forever and due to global warming and other environmental problems, we may have to leave our Earth behind sooner or later.

In turn, this also implies that we have to explore space and to find new planets that we may be able to colonize in order to secure the survival of the human species.

Disadvantages of Space Travel

Space travel implies significant air pollution, particle pollution can be a problem, space exploration implies high levels of waste, space exploration is quite costly, many missions may not yield any results, space travel can be dangerous, space exploration is time-consuming, mental problems for astronauts, problems with radiation, space exploration may lead to a decisive advantage for few countries, may not be in line with religious values, extraterrestrial life forms may wipe out humanity.

Apart from the many important advantages of space exploration, there are still some issues with space travel.

For instance, one important problem with space exploration is that it implies significant air pollution.

In fact, in order to launch a rocket, it takes large amounts of fossil fuels.

Moreover, also in the production process of rockets, significant amounts of fossil fuels have to be used.

In turn, space travel implies significant air pollution and especially people who live close to those facilities may suffer quite a lot from fumes in the air.

Particle pollution is closely related to the air pollution problem.

In fact, if large amounts of fossil fuels are burned, also large amounts of fine particles are emitted into our atmosphere .

In turn, people who live in those areas with significant particle pollution may suffer from several pulmonary issues like asthma or lung cancer.

Another downside of space exploration is that it also implies significant levels of waste .

In fact, in the testing process of new rockets, plenty of waste is produced.

Moreover, also on space missions, large amounts of waste are produced.

In fact, plenty of waste is circling around the earth in outer space and we have to be careful not to make space a gigantic garbage dump.

Space missions also imply significant costs.

In fact, it is quite expensive to explore space and depending on the lengths and the goal of the respective mission, many millions or even billions of dollars have to be used.

Opponents of space missions often claim that this money could be far better used for projects that would facilitate the energy transition process from fossil to renewable energy sources on our earth instead of wasting it for space travel.

Another disadvantage of space travel is that those space missions also often do not deliver any results.

In fact, all attempts to find extraterrestrial life have failed up to this point in time and there is little reason to believe that this might change in the near future.

While space travel has become much safer over the past decades, it is still a rather risky project and the chances for accidents are still present.

Hence, astronauts still have to enter a rocket with the knowledge that there will be the risk that they will never come back home from their missions.

Another issue with space exploration is that those missions are often quite time-consuming.

Especially for longer missions, it can take several months or even years to complete those missions and therefore, space travel con be considered as a long-term project that will not deliver too many immediate results.

Due to the overall high level of insecurity of space missions, astronauts also often suffer from mental problems .

This is not only due to the fact that there will be a significant risk for those astronauts to never come back home, it is also due to the fact that astronauts often feel quite lonely in space.

Yes, there are other astronauts on space stations.

Yet, this is not the same as being together with your family.

There is also still plenty of controversy when it comes to the true long-term health effects of space travel for astronauts.

While some scientists claim that space travel does not lead to too many severe long-term health issues, other scientists claim that radiation is a serious problem in space travel and that the chances to suffer from cancer will be much higher for astronauts compared to the average person in our society.

Hence, there might also be a significant health risk for astronauts from those space missions.

While space exploration can be extremely helpful for a few big countries, other countries may be greatly harmed by it.

For instance, if a few big countries control space and extract resources, other countries will likely lose their competitiveness in the global market.

In turn, this can also lead to higher wealth and income inequality across the planet.

Space missions may also conflict with religious values.

In fact, many people who believe in god do not advocate space exploration at all since they feel that humans should stay on earth and should not explore outer space.

Consequently, space missions may also be problematic from a religious point of view.

There is also no guarantee that extraterrestrial life forms will be peaceful.

In fact, those life forms may have the potential power to wipe out humanity and therefore, exploring space may also not be a good idea in this regard.

Top 10 Space Exploration Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should we explore space.

We can conclude from the previous discussion that space travel has many important advantages and disadvantages.

In my opinion, it can make sense to explore space in order to secure the survival of the human species.

However, we should also make sure that we reduce the pollution levels related to space missions as best as possible in order to protect our environment in the long run.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_exploration

https://www.britannica.com/science/space-exploration

https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/space-travel/index.html

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.

As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.

After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.

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The Planetary Society • Aug 30, 2021

Why space exploration is always worthwhile

Your guide to advocating for space in a complicated world.

Most people who love space and believe in exploration have probably heard this once or twice: “We shouldn’t waste money on space exploration when there are problems to deal with here on Earth.”

While public health concerns, social injustices, climate change, and other urgent issues are important to address, solving these problems doesn’t depend on defunding space programs.

This can be a difficult conversation to navigate, so we’ve outlined a few ideas here that you can share when advocating for space.

Space research isn’t as expensive as people think

Many countries around the world invest in space science and exploration as a balanced part of their total federal budget. Public opinion research has shown that people estimate NASA to take up as much as a quarter of the U.S. federal budget, but in fact,  NASA’s budget only represents about 0.5% of the total federal budget and the proportion is even smaller for other spacefaring nations . The correct information may go a long way to reassuring critics that space spending isn’t eating up as many public resources as they think.

The United States government spent approximately $6.6 trillion in fiscal year 2020, of which just 0.3% ($22.6 billion) was provided to NASA. In this chart, shades of blue represent mandatory spending programs; shades of orange are discretionary programs that require annual appropriations by Congress. "Defense and related" includes both the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Source: Office of Management and Budget Historical Tables 8.5 and 8.7.

Space spending pays off

If someone is arguing that public funds should be spent on solving the world’s problems, they should know that money spent on NASA positively impacts the U.S. economy . We get the same kind of payoff for space spending in other countries. Spending on space supports highly skilled jobs, fuels technology advancements with practical applications, and creates business opportunities that feed back into the economy. This in turn grows the pool of public money that can be spent on solving the world’s most pressing problems.

Space research directly impacts Earthly problems

When people apply themselves to the challenges of exploring space, they make discoveries that can help the world in other ways too. Studying how we might grow food in orbit or on Mars yields insights into growing food in extreme conditions on Earth , generating knowledge that can help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Medical research conducted on the International Space Station helps us understand the human body in new ways, helping save lives and improve quality of life .

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Studying space helps us understand our own world

Studying the cosmos gives us an important perspective shift. When we learn about what lies beyond Earth, it gives us context for understanding our own planet. Studying the other worlds of our solar system and beyond makes it clear that Earth is a precious oasis for life. When we sent spacecraft to Venus we saw how a runaway greenhouse effect turned the world from a habitable planet to an absolute hellscape. When astronauts travel into space they see just how thin and tenuous Earth’s atmosphere is, appreciating the fragile balance in which we live . A cosmic perspective underscores the importance of protecting our planet’s habitability and encourages investment in that effort.

Studying space may one day save us all

All the social and environmental progress in the world won't help us if an asteroid impacts the Earth. We have to explore space to find and study the asteroids and comets in our cosmic neighborhood if we want to make sure we can  defend our planet  if an object ever heads our way.

Space is inspiring

Not every child who dreams of becoming an astronaut will get that opportunity. This is a sad truth that many of us know from experience. But to be inspired to aim for something so grand gives kids the motivation to study hard and gain skills in science, engineering, medicine, or other fields that benefit humanity and directly help overcome problems that we face as a species.

And inspiration isn’t just for kids. When we marvel at the beauty of Jupiter’s clouds or the mystery of Enceladus’ oceans , we get an opportunity to appreciate the wonder and majesty of this cosmos that we inhabit. The idea that life might exist elsewhere in the universe reminds us that we might not be the only planet struggling to achieve balance, justice, and sustainability. And even in the bleakest of times, there’s something beautiful about still striving to achieve something great and discover something that could change how we see ourselves and our cosmos forever.

There’s plenty of room at the table

There’s no denying that there are many important issues facing humanity that need fixing. But to deal with those problems doesn’t mean we have to stop looking up, stop exploring, and stop making discoveries.

Human civilization has astonishing capacity, and we can do more than one important thing at a time. If someone thinks that a particular issue should get more attention and investment, they can and should advocate for that. The problems we face don’t persist because we’re spending money on space science and exploration. And there’s no reason to pit our aspirations against one another.

Let’s Go Beyond The Horizon

Every success in space exploration is the result of the community of space enthusiasts, like you, who believe it is important. You can help usher in the next great era of space exploration with your gift today.

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Why go to space.

The reasons to explore the universe are as vast and varied as the reasons to explore the forests, the mountains, or the sea. Since the dawn of humanity, people have explored to learn about the world around them, find new resources, and improve their existence.

Why We Go to Space

At NASA, we explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all, creating new opportunities and inspiring the world through discovery.

NASA’s exploration vision is anchored in providing value for humanity by answering some of the most fundamental questions: Why are we here? How did it all begin? Are we all alone? What comes next? And, as an addendum to that: How can we make our lives better?

NASA was created more than half a century ago to begin answering some of these questions. Since then, space exploration has been one of the most unifying, borderless human endeavors to date. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the International Space Station, and two dozen countries have signed the Artemis Accords, signaling their commitment to shared values for long-term human exploration and research at the Moon. Through space exploration, we gain a new perspective to study Earth and the solar system. We advance new technologies that improve our daily lives, and we inspire a new generation of artists, thinkers, tinkerers, engineers, and scientists.  

Benefits to Humanity

Space exploration unites the world to inspire the next generation, make ground-breaking discoveries, and create new opportunities.

Technologies and missions we develop for human spaceflight have thousands of applications on Earth, boosting the economy, creating new career paths, and advancing everyday technologies all around us.

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Benefits to Science

The pursuit of discovery drives NASA to develop missions that teach us about Earth, the solar system, and the universe around us.

Science at NASA answers questions as practical as hurricane formation, as enticing as the prospect of lunar resources, as surprising as behavior in weightlessness, and as profound as the origin of the Universe.

Unite with us on our journey to explore.

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Essay on Space Exploration

• Updated on  
• Jun 11, 2022

For scientists, space is first and foremost a magnificent “playground” — an inexhaustible source of knowledge and learning that is assisting in the solution of some of the most fundamental existential issues concerning Earth’s origins and our place in the Universe. Curiosity has contributed significantly to the evolution of the human species. Curiosity along with the desire for a brighter future has driven humans to explore and develop from the discovery of fire by ancient ancestors to present space explorations.  Here is all the information you need and the best tips to write an essay on space exploration.

What is Space Exploration?  

Space Exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While astronomers use telescopes to explore space, both uncrewed robotic space missions and human spaceflight are used to explore it physically. One of the primary sources for space science is space exploration, which is similar to astronomy in its classical form. We can use space exploration to validate or disprove scientific theories that have been created on Earth. Insights into gravity, the magnetosphere, the atmosphere, fluid dynamics, and the geological evolution of other planets have all come from studying the solar system.

Advantages of Space Exploration 

It is vital to understand and point out the advantages of space exploration while writing an essay on the topic.

New inventions have helped the worldwide society. NASA’s additional research was beneficial to society in a variety of ways. Transportation, medical, computer management, agriculture technology, and consumer products all profit from the discoveries. GPS technology, breast cancer treatment, lightweight breathing systems, Teflon fibreglass, and other areas benefited from the space programme.

It is impossible to dispute that space exploration creates a large number of employment opportunities around the world. A better way to approach space exploration is to spend less and make it more cost-effective. In the current job market, space research initiatives provide far too much to science, technology, and communication. As a result, a large number of jobs are created.

Understanding

NASA’s time-travelling space exploration programmes and satellite missions aid in the discovery of previously unknown facts about our universe. Scientists have gained a greater understanding of Earth’s nature and atmosphere, as well as those of other space entities. These are the research initiatives that alert us to impending natural disasters and other related forecasts. It also paves the way for our all-powerful universe to be saved from time to time.

Disadvantages of Space Exploration

Highlighting disadvantages will give another depth to your essay on space exploration. Here are some important points to keep in mind.

Pollution is one of the most concerning issues in space travel. Many satellites are launched into space each year, but not all of them return. The remnants of such incidents degrade over time, becoming debris that floats in the air. Old satellites, various types of equipment, launch pads, and rocket fragments all contribute to pollution. Space debris pollutes the atmosphere in a variety of ways. Not only is space exploration harmful to the environment, but it is also harmful to space.

A government space exploration programme is expensive. Many people believe that space mission initiatives are economical. It should be mentioned that NASA just celebrated its 30th anniversary with $196.5 billion spent.

Space exploration isn’t a walk in the park. Many historical occurrences demonstrate the dangers that come with sad situations. The Challenger space shuttle accident on January 28, 1986, must be remembered. The spacecraft exploded in under 73 seconds, resulting in a tremendous loss of life and property.

Conclusion 

There are two sides to every coin. To survive on Earth, one must confront and overcome obstacles. Space exploration is an essential activity that cannot be overlooked, but it can be enhanced by technological advancements.

Space Exploration Courses

Well, if your dream is to explore space and you want to make a career in it, then maybe space exploration courses are the right choice for you to turn your dreams into reality.

Various universities offering space exploration courses are :

• Arizona State University, USA
• Bachelor of Science in Earth and Space Exploration
• Earth and Space Exploration (Astrobiology and Biogeosciences)
• Earth and Space Exploration (Astrophysics)
• University of Leicester, UK
• Space Exploration Systems MSc
• York University
• Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Space Engineering

Tips to write an IELTS Essay  on Space Exploration

• The essay’s word count should be at least 250 words. There is no maximum word count. If you write less than 250 words, you risk submitting an incomplete essay. The goal should be to write a minimum of 250-words essay.
• There will be more than one question on the essay topic. The questions must be answered in their entirety. For example, for the topic ‘crime is unavoidable,’ you might see questions like 1. Speak in favour of and against this topic, 2. Give your opinion, and 3. Suggest some measures to avoid crime. This topic now has three parts, and all of them must be answered; only then will the essay be complete.
• Maintain a smooth writing flow. You can’t get off track and create an essay that has nothing to do with the issue. The essay must be completely consistent with the question. The essay’s thoughts should be tied to the question directly. Make use of instances, experiences, and concepts that you can relate to.
• Use a restricted number of linking phrases and words to organise your writing. Adverbial phrases should be used instead of standard linking words.
• The essay should be broken up into little paragraphs of at least two sentences each. Your essay should be divided into three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. ( cheapest pharmacy to fill prescriptions without insurance )
• Don’t overuse complicated and long words in your essay. Make appropriate use of collocations and idioms. You must be able to use words and circumstances effectively.
• The essay must be written correctly in terms of grammar. In terms of spelling, grammar, and tenses, there should be no mistakes. Avoid using long, difficult sentences to avoid grammatical problems. Make your sentences succinct and to-the-point.
• Agree/disagree, discuss two points of view, pros and disadvantages, causes and solutions, causes and effects, and problem-solution are all examples of essay questions to practise.
• Make a strong beginning. The opening should provide the reader a good indication of what to expect from the rest of the article. Making a good first impression and piquing your attention starts with a good introduction.
• If required, cite facts, figures, and data. It’s best to stay away from factual material if you’re not sure about the statistics or stats. If you’re unsure about something, don’t write it down.
• The essay’s body should be descriptive, with all of the points, facts, and information listed in great detail.
• The conclusion is the most noticeable part. Your IELTS band is influenced by how you end your essay.
• Make sure there are no spelling errors. If you’re not sure how to spell something, don’t use it. It is preferable to utilize simple, everyday terms.
• Do not include any personal or casual remarks. It is strictly forbidden.
• Once you’ve finished drafting your essay, proofread it. It enables you to scan for minor and large grammar and spelling problems.

This was the Essay on Space Exploration. We hope it was helpful to you. Experts at Leverage Edu will help you out in writing your essays for IELTS, SOPs and more!

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Home — Essay Samples — Science — Space Exploration — Benefits and Challenges of Space Exploration

Benefits and Challenges of Space Exploration

• Categories: Space Exploration

About this sample

Words: 1457 |

Published: Apr 8, 2022

Words: 1457 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Works Cited

• Boddy, J. (2019). The human challenges of deep space exploration: Radiation, isolation, and exploration. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 90(8), 698-703.
• Cockell, C., & Crawford, I. (2019). The human exploration of the solar system: A review. Microorganisms, 7(9), 289.
• Congress, United States, House Committee on Science, & Space Subcommittee on Science, Technology, & Space. (1991). U.S. human spaceflight: A review of the Bush administration's space exploration initiative. U.S. Government Printing Office.
• Dansberry, B., & Li, N. (2019). The international space station: Benefits for humanity. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 90(8), 687-690.
• Davies, R. (2019). The new space race : Mining the moon and Mars. Nature, 571(7766), S24-S26.
• Garvin, J. B. (2019). Lunar surface exploration: Humans and robots working together. American Geophysical Union.
• Gohd, C. (2017). Stephen Hawking: Humans must leave Earth within 100 years or face extinction. Space.com. Retrieved from https://www.space.com/37582-stephen-hawking-human-extinction-colonize-space.html
• Griffin, M. R. (2017). Toward a global strategy for human spaceflight. The Space Review, 12(4).
• Setlow, R. B. (2019). NSRL future directions for deep-space exploration: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Radiation Laboratory. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 90(8), 675-678.
• Whitwam, R. (2018). 8 ways NASA has changed your life. ExtremeTech. Retrieved from https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/187049-8-ways-nasa-changed-your-life

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Space Exploration Essays

by Arvind Sharma (India)

Space exploration is much too expensive and the money should be spent on more important things. What is your opinion? In many countries, a big proportion of expenditure is being spent on exploring the space. It is argued that this expenditure should be spent on other important things rather than on space exploration. However, in my opinion, keep other significant things in mind, space program is very crucial and important for the whole world and should be funded due to the fact that it will help to improve the communication between countries in the world and also helping to search a new alternate to live. To begin, a reason to support funding space program is communication between all over the globe. Because business and organizations are being expanded geographically, they need a communication channel to run these businesses in an effective manner. It has become possible after launching satellites in the orbit. For instance, NASA, which is a reputed space organization has launched many satellites in the orbit, which are being used to broadcast the signals in the form of audio and video to across the globe. Moreover, the satellite television has only become possible due the space programs, and people are able to watch the global events instantly from anywhere. Thus, it can be said that by doing the space exploration, world communication has utterly been changed and for this reason it should be financially aided. Furthermore, As global warming has become a serious concern for the whole world, scientist have started to find the alternate planet to live. Due to this fact, there are going to be conducted more space programs and eventually more money is needed to support these programs. For instance, ISRO, which is an Indian space research organization has been funded by the Indian government. As a result, they have managed to launch own satellite without help of other countries. In addition, there is a need to resolve the problem of global warming and this could only be possible if more space programs will be aided financially. Thus, it has been important for every country to give financial support to these programs so that the next generation can live in a better place. In conclusion, I firmly believe that space program should be supported financially as there is need to get together the whole world to improve the communication and fight against the environmental problems. *** Please can you check my essay on space exploration.

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Spending Money on Space Exploration

by sayali vilas jadhav (pune)

Money spent on space exploration is a waste and can be put to better use on earth. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Nowadays, most of the countries in the world are giving more importance to space exploration because it is a thing of pride for a country to achieve success in space exploration. According to me, money spends on space exploration is worth as this gives us a chance for us to know new things around us. space exploration gives us a chance to innovate new things for the welfare of people.As we know, we found out that there is water on the moon. Due to this scientists planning for sending people to the moon to minimize population and to provide quality life to people. But sometimes I feel that the money which we are spending on space exploration can be minimized and put into the welfare of poor people. due to this roadside children may also get an education and poor people may get jobs. The bottom line is there should be a balance between both things as both things are good for the welfare of people. space exploration is also important like minimizing the poverty from the country.

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Contacting Aliens Essay

by LennyBoyyy

Some Scientists think that there are intelligent life forms on other planets and messages should be sent to contact them. Other scientists think it is a bad idea and would be dangerous. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. The opinions of scientists go apart when it comes to the topic of other life forms. Some say there exist other life forms and that they should be contacted, while others would not do that because it could be dangerous. There are without a doubt pros and cons regarding this topic, but in my opinion it would not be a good idea to contact them, because I would find it better to gain some knowledge about the other life forms before you contact them. On the first hand would It be an unbelievable success to get to know other life forms. Scientists are searching for other life forms probably since decades, but never got any signs. Millions of Dollars were spent to reach these goal. It would change drastically people’s lives. In addition, the technology could in cooperation with the other life forms, advance massively. On the other hand, could the contact with other life forms become very dangerous, because of the lack of knowledge the humanity has regarding other life forms. Not knowing how your communicating partner looks like, functions or thinks could be very risky. Additionally, it could be also the case that there don’t exist other life forms and that huge amounts of money were spend without any sense. Summarized, I would not try to contact other life forms, because the cons in form of the uncertainty if other life forms exist and the danger in which humanity could be exposed exceeds in my opinion the pros in form of the probability that other life could be found and that a stable communication could be build.

Spending Resources to Explore Space

by Nidhi Pareek (Ahmedabad )

Some people think that space exploration is a waste of resources while others think that it is essential for human kind to continue to explore the universe in which we live. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. It is an undeniable fact that over the past few years space exploration has become one of the most discussed topics in today’s society. As a result, some people think that studying space is crucial for humanity, others argue that it is a waste of resources. In this essay, I would like to put forth my views on both the sides with a valid opinion in the conclusion. Firstly, space research has many benefits such as latest technological advancements in satellite communications which include smartphones, satellite television and radio broadcasting are all breakthrough of space research. Furthermore, space research is important for getting minute-details of weather conditions and it also provides the future predictions of climatic conditions. Moreover, space scientists are keen to find the possibility of life on other planets like Mars and if they get success then growing population problem of earth will be solved. Finally, having well developed space research organisation in any country is a matter of prestige for government and it's citizens. However, we seldom give a thought to ponder over the other side of this essay so there are some drawbacks of space research and that is why some people are against the exploration of space. Foremostly, space research requires colossal amount of budget and it is a time consuming study. Furthermore, success ratio of space research is very low. In addition, risk of life is always there with space explorations. For an example, in the year 2006 a prominent astronaut of NASA, Ms. Kalpana Chawla and her team travelled to space for research but unfortunately their space-shuttle crashed while they were returning back to earth. The seemingly inexorable description about the space research can keep on going. Nevertheless, showing a deep reverence and observing the finer nuance of the matter mentioned above I espouse the notion of supporting that space research is an essential part for an economic development but as we all know it is considered as the most expensive scientific discovery so countries should collaborate and there should be a joint efforts for space studies to make it cost effective.

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This time, we take it from no one: Why opening the High Frontier of space can be different (op-ed)

Human expansion has wreaked havoc here on Earth, on both peoples and ecosystems. But things can be reversed when we settle the High Frontier.

As we move closer to the greatest revolution of all time, the opening of the High Frontier of space to humanity, some assert this is somehow a bad thing. Based on inaccurate understandings of history and misplaced projections of those misunderstood times to the future, they are spreading ridiculous and possibly dangerous ideas that what is happening in what I call the Space Revolution is a repeat of the conquests and colonization of history. Wrong. Aside from the fact that we are not taking space from anyone, this time, for the first time, if we do it right, we have the chance to give it to everyone.

In the movements and expansion of civilizations and peoples of the past, it has often been the case that, as one group expanded, it was at the cost of another. We have been driven in the past by changes in climate , the pressures of our populations, the collapse of our economies, the oppression of our ideas and beliefs, or the greed of those with a lot of stuff to gather more stuff under their control. Societies have also been forced to move to new lands by the movements of others being driven by others moving into their own, and so on. 

Contrary to current mythology, all of human history, everywhere on the planet has been an unending story of conquest. Around 2,000 years ago, Roman legions brutally conquered the indigenous tribes of Spain, France and the British Isles. One thousand five hundred years later, their progeny then slaughtered the indigenous tribes of a half dozen continents. In the time between, the Aztecs , Incas and Mayans slaughtered and enslaved the smaller tribes and kingdoms around them to expand their domains, while the Mongols conquered China and parts of eastern Europe. A bit later than that, the Zulu swept across southern Africa, conquering their neighbors, only to run into the British, who tried to conquer them. And while some groups may rise in righteous anger over the more recent takings and injustices faced by their ancestors, if one looks far enough back, it becomes clear that, in many cases, their ancestors or ancestors' ancestors took what they had from someone else. 

Related: Who owns the Moon? Law and outer space treaties

Too often, we have witnessed the death-rattling chagrin of peoples being "discovered" by others arriving in their "New Worlds." Too often, we have characterized the progress of one society by the decline of another or its usurpation as a conquered nation. It has become almost axiomatic to some historians that this is just how things are and will always be. After all, we live on one planet and have done so for millions of years, and the odds are that, at some point, someone from somewhere else has been where you are going, and if they are still there, they will be in your way. 

Not so on the High Frontier of space. So far as we know, there is no one out there for us to conquer, no one whose lands we will steal or confiscate for our own. There is no one to displace, no one to eliminate, and no one nearby upon whose ashes we will build our own civilization. And so, at last, this ugly aspect of human history has a chance to end.

Rather, it appears that the solar system is empty of intelligence except our own. It is in that sense ours, as it belongs to no one else, not in the way that greed and the grabbing of finite resources and wealth have been taken or possessed in the past, but in the sense that we are responsible for it, We, All of Us — the entire human race. It may be possible there is primitive life to be found under a frozen rock on Mars or beneath the under-oceans of the Jupiter moon Europa or Saturn's Enceladus . In that case, we are obliged to treat it with care, treasuring it and protecting it, even as we move on and around it to fill the immensity of what remains of our neighborhood. The solar system is ours. It is our responsibility. To explore, inhabit, harvest, share and protect — or to pillage, destroy, covet and command. 

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To some, this need to take, dominate, and control is a human trait. I agree that, especially in the beginning stages of opening the Frontier, it will be hard to imagine what some call "human nature" changing. But if you stop and think about it, there is no set "human nature" regarding greed or the need to conquer and own other peoples and their lands. I believe it to be more of a historical social norm or even a socially acceptable habit. Domination culture is based on control of technologies and resources, fed by the "have and have not" dynamic and used by power-hungry individuals with traumatic pasts, who have the ability and tools to gaslight and manipulate the elements of society around them, like governments.

As we open the High Frontier, these habits and tendencies will come with us — at least at first. The constant conflicts and geographic games of the nations of Earth will follow us into space. They already have. Keep in mind that the first space race was between rival governments. The next, already underway, is also between ideologically and territorially competing powers. The first was largely symbolic, resulting in little more than flags and footprints left behind by the winner. Today's is far different, and the stakes nothing less than domination of the solar system. From low Earth orbit to who will control the resources of the Moon, the game is afoot, so to speak.

Related: China moving at 'breathtaking speed' in final frontier, Space Force says

But suppose we can get past this first phase of government's trying to use space to dominate Earth and establish the first viable communities in the beyond. These can be based on underlying principles that focus on caring for life, evolving humanity and exploring the cosmos, and yes, funded by new industries and vast resources we no longer have to rip out of the MotherWorld. In that case, we may have a chance to move to a new level of human culture, where war, conquest, and control make way for more peaceful, collaborative efforts to expand the domain of life for all.

I am not speaking of a naïve utopia here but an opportunity that will be forced on us by pragmatic realities. The vast distances, the availability of endless supplies of materials, resources, and energy, and the susceptibility of fragile humans and their constructs to destruction all mitigate for mutual support and against war and conquest. In addition, the rise of our ability via additive manufacturing, robotics, and AI to transform those vast resources and energy into everything we need will eventually mean we don't need to take it from anyone else. After all, if everything I need is provided by the resources around me, I have unlimited clean energy and the machines to convert those resources into anything I need or can imagine, why do I want to take it from someone else? Why go to the trouble?

Again, to be clear, I am not ignoring the dark motivations of humanity's biggest enemy, those (mainly male) aberrations from the good citizens who play on their society's insufficiencies to feed their own bottomless needs for power. Indeed, it has been these damaged humans who have driven much of our history. But to succeed, or at least to undergird their mobilization of entire nations on their behalf, they have most often had to rely on a base of people lacking in comfort or angry at the inability of their states to provide economic or social stability. Even many of what appear to be religious conquests, when examined closely, boil down to control of resources and the fight between haves and have-nots manipulated by very specific people to feed their own spiritual insufficiencies.

On the other hand, most people are good. 99.9% of people on the planet just want to enjoy life. They just want a place to live, meet their needs, and have some fun along the way. Within that group are the 1% who always seem to have far more than the rest, and the 0.1% who seek control of everyone else — almost always by controlling their government. This is a societal problem, not a geographic one. It results more from issues of morality and control of governments than from resources or locations. Take scarce resources and limits on opportunities to engage in risk-reward mobility out of the equation and you've removed their biggest tools.

Speaking of haves and have-nots, I cannot write this without acknowledging what some outsiders see as an entitled group of "super haves" leading the way off the planet that older generations of "haves" nearly destroyed. Fortunately, in this case, that negative assessment is wrong — perhaps for the first time in history. While it is convenient to cast the billionaires building the rocketships as space-based colonialist conquerors, it is also both lazy and wrong. 

It is lazy because any deep examination of their histories or the motives of the movement they are part of would reveal a core benevolence and love for humanity and life driving them forward. For example, Jeff Bezos was, like me, a young disciple of Prof. Gerard K. O'Neill. O'Neill's groundbreaking 1973 book "The High Frontier" was built on his early predictions of the need to fight climate change by creating space solar power satellites , while turning Earth into a garden planet. That's Jeff's plan for his space company, Blue Origin . Meanwhile, he's also donated billions to the environment and other causes. Richard Branson is a leading environmentalist and champion of humanistic causes. Even Elon Musk (whose recent political utterings include many I do not share) has helped bring electric cars and solar powered homes into the mainstream, and began his quest for space by wanting to place a symbolic terrarium of Earthlife on Mars.

Related: As space billionaires take flight, 'the right stuff' for space travel enters a new era

It is wrong because, at least in the case of the three most well-known billionaire rocketeers, even their more well-informed critics admit they are not opening space to make money. They made their money to help open space. The recent attack made by President Obama (whom I revere) — using the tired refrain I will paraphrase as, "Why spend their money out there when we have so many problems down here" — highlighted how ridiculous this dogma is. Had I been there, I would have asked him which of his favorite professional basketball teams (funded by billionaires and taxpayers) should be shut down and the savings donated to the homeless. Love them or their terrestrial business practices, or hate them, these people are trying to do something for the good with at least some of their profits. They are not the robber barons or conquistadors of bygone eras, and it is a cheap exercise of absurdist eco-populism to cast them otherwise.

Of course, this doesn't mean that ego isn't involved. That is part of human nature, to be sure. Be it an artist, athlete, architect, surgeon, chef or scientist, we want to be the best, and if possible achieve great things. At the level of a multi-billionaire, it means, for some, applying that skill they have — accumulating and investing vast sums of money — into something they see as having the most significant impact on the future of their society. For Bill Gates it may mean fighting today's diseases. For these, it means helping build a tomorrow worth living into. In other eras, they might have been underwriting Arctic explorers, funding the first telescopes , or being patrons for a Michelangelo or Da Vinci. We have to separate debates about the system that enables the accumulation of such wealth from what they do with it. For my part, I'll take the fact that what they are funding is not about taking anything for themselves, but giving future generations the chance to have it all.

That means us and our children. All of us. The new rocketships they and others in the revolution are building will finally unshackle us from the government's ownership of the heavens and give us the keys to our tomorrow. Be it an American billionaire's fleet or even one of the many clones being built by Chinese teams , the cost of going out there is about to plummet. This means that, within the following decades, most middle-class people won’t have to settle for science fiction or watching government employees perform space for them; they will be able to go out there themselves. It also means it will be within the means of even the poorest nations to send their scientists, explorers and entrepreneurs to participate in this new renaissance. 

For better or worse, we will take who we are with us wherever we go. But things improve each time we go somewhere new — if we do so based on even the minimum of enlightened self-conceptualization. We improve.

History shows that, due to advances in technology, while the scale of the pain and devastation any single human or group can cause by a single act has grown dramatically, be it the pull of a trigger or the dropping of a bomb, the frequency and social acceptance of such crimes has dropped. It may not seem like it given our media inundation with scenes of violence and evil, but overall humanity is progressing. For example, today rape is a war crime rather than a routine part of battle, and as a male, you no longer have to carry a sword as part of your daily clothing. We improve. We grow. We will still have violence, greed and crime. They will follow us into space. But again, if we do it right, they will fade even more from their once central role in our society.

I have often been asked at my college talks why we don't wait until humanity is more mature before we go out into space. My reply: "When did you grow up the most? Was it while you lived at home with your parents? Or was it when you went out into the world?"

I do not propose perfection. I propose turning our focus in a new direction.

This new High Frontier gives us the chance to redefine our relationship to each other, to our Mother Earth, and to our future. We can use all we have learned of our history, all we know from science, and all we can imagine from our works of art and fiction and apply them to try to get it right this time.

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I propose hope.

Imagine a future where the goal of human society is not to grab as much of a limited pie as we can but to expand the availability of everything to everyone, because all can access an unlimited supply of all we need.

Imagine a humanity driven not by the accumulation of whatever we can accumulate in a limited system but by the desire to experience, explore and create new places to be — everywhere and anywhere we can.

Imagine a society that measures itself not on what it can appropriate from others, but what it can learn and create; not on what it controls, but on what its people can do with their lives, down here or out there, as part of a vital species ending its childhood and awakening to the possible.

The opening of the Frontier offers us the chance to move outward for any of these reasons or for any reason we choose, any reason You choose.

There will be dark moments in the years to come. Political games and power grabs have already begun among the government players. Land grabs will come next — again, not by the people, but by governments. Keep this in mind. This is why we need those who are willing to put their own lives and fortunes on the line for this cause to do so. So that you can. This is the biggest change we can make on this Frontier — giving it to you. By opening the universe to humanity as widely as possible, bypassing government gatekeepers and throwing open the airlock to everyone, and democratizing access to the possibilities offered by everywhere else beyond Earth, we can create the option of an endlessly expanding set of options for all.

Most will stay here. Most always stay. That's fine. Those who choose to move upward will do so because they are bored or excited, tired or seeking a challenge, seeking a fortune or wanting to share the opportunity, oppressed or not oppressed; it does not matter. We must make it possible for them to go — for whatever reason they choose. Within a framework built on our highest principles, we must ensure that as many of us have the chance to do so as we can. What does matter is that, as soon as possible, we begin, and as we begin, we do it right.

We must learn to trust ourselves, even as we use this incredible opportunity to reinvent ourselves. We must reach for what we can be, even as we recall and are informed by what we have been. 

We've gotten so much wrong, so many times. 

This time it can be different, if We decide to Be different. 

Remember: This time we go as one humanity. 

This time we take it from no one. 

Instead, this time, we give it to all.

Rick Tumlinson is the founder of SpaceFund , a venture capital firm investing in space startups. He also founded the Space Frontier Foundation , Earthlight Foundation and New Worlds Institute and is a founding board member of the X Prize Foundation . 

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Both a rebel and a respected leader, Rick is listed as one of the top 100 influential people in the space field. Called one of the world’s top space “visionaries,” Rick helped coin the term "NewSpace" and worked to create the new commercial space industry highlighted by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

A leading writer, speaker, and six-time Congressional witness, Rick helped start the first mission to find water on the Moon, signed the first ever commercial data purchase agreement with NASA, helped start NASA’s Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, led the commercial takeover of the Russian Mir space station, signed the first private astronaut to fly to the space station, co-founded the Space Frontier Foundation, and was a founding board member of the X-Prize. 

As a result of his world-changing work, in 2015 he won the World Technology Award along with Craig Venter of the Human Genome project. He founded the SpaceFund venture capital company with 19 space companies in its portfolio and is a member of the US Space Force Doctrine Advisory Group.

Rick's The Space Revolution "radiopod" is featured on IHeart Radio Network's iRoc Space Radio and is available on most major podcast sites. He hosts the New Worlds Conference and the Space Cowboy Ball in Austin, Texas, and his non-profit EarthLight Foundation is creating an inclusive new movement to use space to protect the Earth and expand life into the cosmos.

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• Unclear Engineer While I agree with much of this opinion piece, I am hesitant to share the optimism about human nature. I think he has it right that most of our history has been the result of competition among various groups of humans for limited resources. But, his expectations for "unlimited" resources in space seems extremely naïve, for 2 reasons. First, there will definitely be limits on resources we can acquire in space. Those limits are not just from limited amounts of something being there at all, but more so the limits on our abilities to extract them from wherever they are and get them to the places where those on Earth and elsewhere actually need them. But, more importantly, the reasons that we are feeling limited by the availability of resources that we need is that we have an inbred nature to expand our population, and we do so for as long as there are resources available to support the expansion. Then we fight others to take their resources, using all sorts of arguments to divide into "us" and "them" as the designated appropriate winners and losers. And, there will always be a tendency for some individuals to seek control and dominance. Maybe we can select the first generation of colonists for some remote outpost such as a Mars colony. But, once reproduction is occurring at self-sustaining levels in any colony, the variety of individual attitudes there will become far less controllable. What is needed is a change in culture that can deal with the negative aspects of human nature. It is naive to think that can all be accomplished with just positive means - only "carrots", no "sticks". And, the use of negative means requires some sorts of authority, which opens the door for repression and domination by the ones who have such tendencies. So, while we seem to be making some progress as a species trying to civilize ourselves, I note that the worst behaviors are still occurring in our world, today, and are not being successfully suppressed. I think we are going to have to deal with that for some time to come, as we create new colonies far from Earth, that must not only be able to support themselves, but must be able to control themselves in order to survive. Reply
• techw Frankly, your article does sound like a utopian fantasy. I like the thought of a Star Trek future, but it does seem pretty unlikely. I recommend reading the book " A City on Mars " by Kelly & Zach Weinersmith. It really is eye opening on the realities of space colonization. Reply
• Damon A This article is inane. There will always be conflict, humans simply cannot let others live as they please. This is true from your HOA to your local government to the federal government and even to the UN. There will always be someone out there that thinks they know better than you how you should live your life, and not only that, they'll be willing to use force to make you comply. There is no way space will be demilitarized or peaceful. It's just not who we are. Reply

Damon A said: This article is inane. There will always be conflict, humans simply cannot let others live as they please. This is true from your HOA to your local government to the federal government and even to the UN. There will always be someone out there that thinks they know better than you how you should live your life, and not only that, they'll be willing to use force to make you comply. There is no way space will be demilitarized or peaceful. It's just not who we are.

• Ken Fabian Impassioned but unrealistic. Passing over the extreme difficulties and costs and going straight to how things play out in an optimistic future where space colonies have income positive economies with no limits to growth and looking to the problems that may cause? Dreaming. Reply
• billslugg What could possibly be a valid, profit making, enterprise in interplanetary space? Maybe a bit of tourism. You might sell space rocks. Precious metals can't pay their own way with current rocket ship technology. Maybe crash a solid nickel asteroid on the Earth somewhere. EPA might have a problem with that. I just don't see any money out there. Deep space travel is going to be for scientific and national security purposes for a long time. Reply
• Unclear Engineer I have to agree with Bill. Establishing a colony on the Moon or Mars is a lot harder and more costly than establishing a colony at the South Pole on Earth, and we don't have one there, despite years of habitation by scientists. Even establishing a colony on Greenland has not gone over well with the humans looking for a place to "get away and start over." It is the scientists that go to remote places to learn new things. So, I think our history of habitation at the South Pole is a better analog for our future in "space" than the histories of people spreading across the tropical and temperate zones of Earth. The one advantage that "industry" might have with off-Earth production facilities could be the ability to "pollute" their manufacturing site without interference from the EPA, because that pollution would not affect Earth's ecosystem. However, the cost of transporting the products to Earth's surface, where the "market" is for selling them, would tend to make off-Earth production of products have some pretty steep price tags. Reply
• billslugg Space is a great place to get rid of toxic wastes as long as you can assure they keep on going and don't intersect Earth later. Deep space is also better for microgravity experiments. LEO has some level of tidal forces that super delicate crystalizations might not like. Reply
• Atlan0001 You guys have a 1-dimensional vertical view of past and future history, strictly your city (homeland) versus frontier. You have no conception of inverse square, which means the horizontal-lateral view of growing conquest, step by step increase in lateral growth of opportunity and wealth from the space resource in the outer-space frontier, and the child now out of the womb and growing saying to heck with Mother Earth! Of course this very increase in non-Earth orientated energies will still mean growing possibilities of growing energy, opportunity and wealth on Earth in the growing exhaust vacuum to space frontier (exactly what Sir Thomas More was seeing and hating incubating and growing around him in Europe circa 1512OCE when he wrote his nostalgia for the pre-frontier, pre-human energizing (wealth energizing), feudalism of the middle Ages, "Utopia" (originally "Nusquama" (both the Greek and Latin meaning "Nowhere / Nowhereland")). No overwhelming floods of mass resources and goods has to flow down to the Earth from the 'High Frontier' for an increasing energy and wealth (in too many ways to count) to come back in backflow to make of the homelands themselves growing "New World Frontiers." -------------------- To borrow and upgrade a line original to Albert Einstein, "The mass genius of 'Frontier' has always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds . . . such as that of 'Utopia's Sir Thomas More, circa 1512OCE!" -- Atlan0001. Reply
• Catastrophe Unclear Engineer. Post #8. I agree. I have pointed out several time, the naivety of "just" building a metallurgical plant and "build all" factory on distant exoplanets - those considered too far away to make it worthwhile to ship metals to other locations. Some seem to think these distant manufacturing facilities just grow on trees . Cat :) Reply
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Sputnik: the Satellite that Launched a New Era in Space Exploration

This essay about Sputnik details the significant impact of the world’s first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. It discusses how Sputnik initiated the Space Race and influenced technological and geopolitical advancements globally. The essay highlights the immediate international reactions, particularly in the United States, which led to increased investments in scientific research and the establishment of NASA. It also covers the cultural influence and the development of global communications technology that followed. Furthermore, it addresses the legal and policy discussions about space that arose from Sputnik’s launch. Ultimately, the essay positions Sputnik as a pivotal event in human history, symbolizing the boundless possibilities of space exploration and its ongoing influence on modern life.

How it works

Few events in human history are as important as the Soviet Union’s October 4, 1957, launch of Sputnik 1. This moment changed the course of international science, technology, and geopolitical dynamics significantly. It also signaled the start of space exploration and satellite technology. This article explores the significance of Sputnik and the wide-ranging effects it has on historical and modern situations.

The word “satellite” or “companion” in Russian refers to Sputnik, the first artificial satellite in history. It was a polished metal sphere, about the size of a beach ball, with a diameter of 58 cm and a mass of roughly 83 kilos.

Its ability to broadcast radio pulses through four external radio antennas was perhaps its most revolutionary feature. These straightforward signals were received by radio operators worldwide and served as a symbol of Soviet dominance in the emerging space race as well as a technical accomplishment.

The immediate reaction to Sputnik’s launch ranged from awe to fear, primarily in the United States, where it was perceived as a wake-up call regarding the Soviet Union’s technological capabilities. The launch not only sparked the infamous Space Race but also had a lasting impact on education and scientific research in the United States. The subsequent years saw significant increases in U.S. government spending on scientific research and education, epitomized by the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958 and initiatives aimed at enhancing the American technological workforce.

On a broader scale, the launch of Sputnik had significant implications for communication technology. The development of satellite technology paved the way for advances in global communications, including television, telephone, and internet services that are often taken for granted today. The ability to send objects into orbit around Earth represented a monumental leap for mankind, offering new perspectives of our planet and enabling technologies that use orbital satellite paths for various purposes, from weather forecasting to GPS systems.

Culturally, Sputnik ingrained itself into the fabric of the 20th century, symbolizing a pivotal point in the Cold War that extended beyond mere technological achievement to encompass a battle for ideological supremacy. The Soviet success with Sputnik challenged American perceptions of superiority, contributing to a reevaluation of national priorities and capabilities. It also stoked public interest in science fiction and popular culture, with references to satellites and space becoming increasingly common in the literature and films of the era.

Furthermore, the international dialogue on space law and policy was significantly influenced by Sputnik’s launch. It raised urgent questions about sovereignty and the use of space for peaceful purposes, eventually leading to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which established space as a global commons to be explored and used for the benefit of all humanity.

In conclusion, Sputnik is more than just a historical footnote. It is a symbol of human curiosity and ingenuity, representing the possibilities that open up when we reach beyond our earthly limitations. The legacy of Sputnik continues to influence space exploration and technological advancement. As we look towards future endeavors in space, such as Mars colonization and beyond, the pioneering spirit of Sputnik serves as a reminder of what humanity can achieve when it dares to dream big. Thus, Sputnik not only launched itself into orbit but also launched a new chapter in human history, the ripples of which continue to be felt in numerous facets of modern life.

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The Mind-Expanding Value of Arts Education

As funding for arts education declines worldwide, experts ponder what students — and the world at large — are losing in the process.

By Ginanne Brownell

This article is part of our special report on the Art for Tomorrow conference that was held in Florence, Italy.

Awuor Onguru says that if it were not for her continued exposure to arts education as a child, she never would have gotten into Yale University.

Growing up in a lower-middle-class family in Nairobi, Kenya, Ms. Onguru, now a 20-year-old junior majoring in English and French, started taking music lessons at the age of four. By 12, she was playing violin in the string quartet at her primary school, where every student was required to play an instrument. As a high school student on scholarship at the International School of Kenya, she was not only being taught Bach concertos, she also became part of Nairobi’s music scene, playing first violin in a number of local orchestras.

During her high school summer breaks, Ms. Onguru — who also has a strong interest in creative writing and poetry — went to the United States, attending the Interlochen Center for the Arts ’ creative writing camp, in Michigan, and the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio . Ms. Onguru, who recently returned to campus after helping organize Yale Glee Club’s spring tour in Kenya, hopes to become a journalist after graduation. She has already made progress toward that goal, serving as the opinion editor for the Yale Daily News, and getting her work published in Teen Vogue and the literary journal Menacing Hedge.

“Whether you’re in sports, whether you end up in STEM, whether you end up in government, seeing my peers — who had different interests in arts — not everyone wanted to be an artist,” she said in a video interview. “But they found places to express themselves, found places to be creative, found places to say things that they didn’t know how else to say them.”

Ms. Onguru’s path shows what a pivotal role arts education can play in a young person’s development. Yet, while the arts and culture space accounts for a significant amount of gross domestic product across the globe — in the United Kingdom in 2021, the arts contributed £109 billion to the economy , while in the U.S., it brought in over $1 trillion that year — arts education budgets in schools continue to get slashed. (In 2021, for instance, the spending on arts education in the U.K. came to an average of just £9.40 per pupil for the year .)

While experts have long espoused the idea that exposure to the arts plays a critical role in primary and secondary schooling, education systems globally have continually failed to hold it in high regard. As Eric Booth, a U.S.-based arts educator and a co-author of “Playing for Their Lives: The Global El Sistema Movement for Social Change Through Music,” said: “There are a whole lot of countries in the world that don’t have the arts in the school, it just isn’t a thing, and it never has been.”

That has led to the arts education trajectory heading in a “dark downward spiral,” said Jelena Trkulja, senior adviser for academic and cultural affairs at Qatar Museums , who moderated a panel entitled “When Arts Education is a Luxury: New Ecosystems” at the Art for Tomorrow conference in Florence, Italy, organized by the Democracy & Culture Foundation, with panels moderated by New York Times journalists.

Part of why that is happening, she said, is that societies still don’t have a sufficient and nuanced understanding of the benefits arts education can bring, in terms of young people’s development. “Arts education is still perceived as an add-on, rather than an essential field creating essential 21st-century skills that are defined as the four C’s of collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking,” Dr. Trkulja said in a video interview, “and those skills are being developed in arts education.”

Dennie Palmer Wolf, principal researcher at the U.S.-based arts research consultancy WolfBrown , agreed. “We have to learn to make a much broader argument about arts education,” she said. “It isn’t only playing the cello.”

It is largely through the arts that we as humans understand our own history, from a cave painting in Indonesia thought to be 45,000 years old to “The Tale of Genji,” a book that’s often called the world’s first novel , written by an 11th-century Japanese woman, Murasaki Shikibu; from the art of Michelangelo and Picasso to the music of Mozart and Miriam Makeba and Taylor Swift.

“The arts are one of the fundamental ways that we try to make sense of the world,” said Brian Kisida, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri’s Truman School of Public Affairs and a co-director of the National Endowment for the Arts-sponsored Arts, Humanities & Civic Engagement Lab . “People use the arts to offer a critical perspective of their exploration of the human condition, and that’s what the root of education is in some ways.”

And yet, the arts don’t lend themselves well to hard data, something educators and policymakers need to justify classes in those disciplines in their budgets. “Arts is this visceral thing, this thing inside you, the collective moment of a crescendo,” said Heddy Lahmann , an assistant professor of international education at New York University, who is conducting a global study examining arts education in public schools for the Community Arts Network. “But it’s really hard to qualify what that is.”

Dr. Lahmann’s early research into the decrease in spending by public schools in arts education points to everything from the lack of trained teachers in the arts — partly because those educators are worried about their own job security — to the challenges of teaching arts remotely in the early days of the Covid pandemic. And, of course, standardized tests like the Program for International Student Assessment, which covers reading, math and science, where countries compete on outcomes. “There’s a race to get those indicators,” Dr. Lahmann said, “and arts don’t readily fit into that.” In part, that is because standardized tests don’t cover arts education .

“It’s that unattractive truth that what gets measured gets attended to,” said Mr. Booth, the arts educator who co-authored “Playing for Their Lives.”

While studies over the years have underscored the ways that arts education can lead to better student achievement — in the way that musical skills support literacy, say, and arts activities lead to improved vocabulary, what have traditionally been lacking are large-scale randomized control studies. But a recent research project done in 42 elementary and middle schools in Houston, which was co-directed by Dr. Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen, a professor who teaches education policy at Texas A&M, is the first of its kind to do just that. Their research found that students who had increased arts education experiences saw improvements in writing achievement, emotional and cognitive empathy, school engagement and higher education aspirations, while they had a lower incidence of disciplinary infractions.

As young people are now, more than ever, inundated with images on social media and businesses are increasingly using A.I., it has become even more relevant for students these days to learn how to think more critically and creatively. “Because what is required of us in this coming century is an imaginative capacity that goes far beyond what we have deliberately cultivated in the schooling environment over the last 25 years,” said Mariko Silver, the chief executive of the Henry Luce Foundation, “and that requires truly deep arts education for everyone.”