Is Outer Space Good for America?

For many years humans have been exploring space to discover the unknown and fuel their curious and adventurous nature, but the decision of whether space exploration is worth the cost is strongly debated. Due to various arguments and evidence space exploration is strongly supported is proven to be worth the cost. Some of these reasons include space exploration being able to expand our knowledge and it being able to generate wealth. With these reasons the argument of whether space exploration is worth the risk can be easily decided.

Many critics believe that NASA and space exploration should not be the main focus of the government. However, NASA is not just about flying rockets and putting men into space. There is science and engineering that is being developed to push humanity forward in life. This space program is essential to answering philosophical questions, creating new technology for practical everyday use, the international collaboration with other countries, and the long-term survival of the human

While many people support funding NASA and agree with the organization’s goals, there a good number of people who do not. A common reason for this is that they believe that the space program should focus on discovering things that can benefit us immediately, not in the future. This is a valid argument because there

The effort and the cost for space exploration is not proportional to the wealth it promises, which in result could become a burden for the American citizens. According to Source E, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have dedicated $5.3 billion to space exploration. As the United States becomes more involved, the funding for this unnecessary idea in space exploration will continue to exceed the $5.3 billion. In order to compensate the money being spent, citizens will have to take the burden by paying higher taxes because the diminutive 0.06 of a federal dollar that was dedicated to space and technology back in 2006 will undoubtedly increase as space exploration becomes a national priority (Source C). Space exploration is a major risk because the ways in which it promises to provide tangible benefits for our society is unclear. All throughout Source A, the author lists the optimistic contributions for space exploration, like provides inspiration for the young generation, but no where in the article does it mention how space exploration will result in developing those outcomes. This is so because nobody exactly knows either, they are just stating secluded conclusions to make space exploration a more desirable idea. Source H further unites

We've all seen pictures of the beautiful blue globe of the Earth from space. Some of the first images were taken by NASA. Not only that,The International Space Station has been a huge step forward in the healing technology, and NASA has made millions of research projects to help us with our health. This research is going to show a few of the many things that NASA, with its knowledge helped us discover, and in some cases, to solve many human problems. They have contributed not only clearler and more extensive vews of space, but it also has helped with the problems and diseases that occur.

One would think that sending humans or technology into space would cost a fair amount of money – in reality, the price may far exceed what one might expect. The price is so high, in fact, that it may make you question why so much money is spent on space programs when it could be used to fund education or health care, which arguably is of greater use to us on Earth. Substantial amounts of money have been spent on space exploration from the 1960s well into the twenty-first century. This was evident during the Cold War. When national pride and international power is at stake, the cost of space exploration may seem like just a number. During the Cold War era, the United States squared away approximately five percent of their federal budget in an

“If you want a nation to have space exploration ambitions, you’ve got to send humans” (Neil deGrasse Tyson). This quote means in order to have space exploration ambitions, you have to send humans to explore. As of 2011, NASA’s was funded $18.4 billion dollars. Now, people are starting to think if NASA should keep sending humans into space or not. The Obama Administration has announced they will cut NASA’s FY 2017 budget to $19 billion (http://www.universetoday.com/127309/nasa-2017-budget/). In my opinion, countries should continue sending people to space because it would help with defense and weather prediction, it may advance technological development, and it will allow the human population to sustain on Earth.

Stephen Johnson explained that on the other side of the space argument, support for space exploration comes with “Favoring private space endeavors, such as commercial launch systems, space tourism, and mining the Moon for resources” (Johnson, Stephen B). Space could possibly supply resources that we could use in everyday life, but this remains as a maybe, and cannot be confirmed. However, some believe that if a prediction such as that will be acted upon in the near future, it might as well come soon, due to the advancements that modern times have made on technology. Though that stands as an argument, it does not triumph the fact that "[Space] is a difficult, expensive, and potentially dangerous place to operate, [one which] requires a lot of technical skill and money to build, launch, and operate satellites” says Nancy Gallagher, an associate director for research at University of Maryland (Eisendrath, Craig). No amount of predictions can see into the future, therefore no one knows have safe, money-saving, or really just intelligent space exploration may prove. Furthermore, education and money only fill in so many gaps in space, and space as a whole, should remain unscathed by humans. Despite the fact that space might provide valuables for humanity, no predictions can be made about space exploration and be safely

In the article “The Imperative to explore” Buzz Aldrin talks about how when he took his step on the moon, he realized what a beautiful place was and that it was our home. Buzz Aldrin described it as a green, blue, and white globe surrounded by a void of blackness. And that green, blue, and white sphere is our home that we have to protect. This sight made him realize that our home is precious, and that it help all of our achievements, all of our knowledge, and everyone that we have ever loved. He said we explore because it touches on our economic strength, our health and well-being, and the ability of our planet, with its finite and limited resources, to sustain us. Buzz Aldrin then starts talking about sustainability. He says we live on a small world with a population of seven billion, and that that number is rapidly increasing. And that all these people are going to use up all of our natural resources, pollute, and run out of room. And that leaves us with only one clear choice; we have to explore space. He says that there may be problems that we can not stop, or problems that will be race threatening, and that we need to have an alternate “home” that we will be able to travel to. We need to guarantee the survival of our race by settling on new worlds.

Space Exploration: the human wonders since the dawn of time, the popular entertainment franchise, and the unknown. It’s something many consider to be worthwhile or useless. Without a doubt it has brought many together with accomplishments that no one could have foretold without drivin motivation of the unknown. As well, one of the key evidence of America’s power well known around the world. From imagination running wild to scientific discoveries space exploration has changed our lives in many ways. However, with great knowledge, that can cause certain hazards to all from the unknown of space. Space Exploration should always be taken into serious consideration that itself is what brings issues to be examined through any financial and

Space: the final frontier. The opening words to the TV series Star Trek seemed to carry the hopes and dreams of a generation. After all, their generation had done what seemed impossible – land men on the moon and bring them back to earth safely. Anything seemed possible – even sending men to mars. Today, our space program is just a shell of what it once had been. No longer do we have the means to send man to the moon – in fact, we don’t even have the means to send man into orbit anymore. In 2011, President Obama approved a proposal to cut the budget of NASA, effectively shutting down the Space Shuttle Program. This trend is anything but new – the percentage of money we spend on NASA has been decreasing year after year. In 2013, NASA’s budget was $16.8 billion, a paltry 0.49% of our total federal budget (and less than the citizens of the U.S. spend on pizza per year). This is a sharp decrease from even a decade before, when NASA spending accounted for 0.68% of the budget, and incredibly distant from NASA’s all time high percentage of our budget – 4.41%, in 1966. Many argue that the cut in funding is justifiable; after all, the nation is over $18 trillion in debt, and any way to reduce the deficit is helpful, especially for non-vital programs. However, I believe that NASA should receive more federal funding to continue expanding and funding research and space exploration programs, as the benefits of the space program outweigh the amount spent.

In 1969, the iconic first steps on the moon drew in 500 million people who watched from their television screens. Since then, two thirds of Americans say they are interested in space exploration. What is stopping NASA and other space programs from feeding into Americans’ interests? Many argue that space exploration is vital to our society and one day the human race in its entirety will have no option but to leave Earth in search of a new planet. Others insist the space programs in America have created some of the world’s most useful inventions, ranging from CT scanners to digital cameras to firefighting equipment; these inventions supposedly prove space exploration’s worth. While these statements may have some truth to them, there are multiple setbacks that make space exploration difficult for American space programs to accomplish, and, in the end, not worth it- at least for now.

Some believe that the benefits of space exploration are great enough to overlook the decreasing health of astronauts who have been affected by space travel. I believe that the knowledge of space from space exploration is not beneficial enough to cause astronauts harm and long-term health problems when the same work could be done by artificial intelligence.

The pros and cons of space exploration are highly controversial and the reasoning behind both sides stretch from pluto, around the stars, and back, covering every possible situation and circumstance imaginable. Everyone from Environmentalist,to Scientist, to Teachers, and Stay at home Moms have an opinion on whether or not the exploration of space is a positive, fund worthy cause, or if it is a non-worthwhile, dangerous one. Great controversy stems from the fact that no one is left untouched by this world-wide research; no one is left unaffected.

"Looking down the road, space exploration and the benefits it yields-in medicine and information technology -should not be overlooked." By: Bob Barr. As a result of exploring the universe, new technologies are made along the way and other things are made better. A lot of people see space exploration as a waste of time and resource consumer; however, the benefits it yields is much greater. Space exploration is helping develop new technologies, inspiring young people to pursue the STEM careers, and it can offer many solutions in the problems we encounter.