Space Exploration Is A Waste Of Money

As humans, we are born with a natural desire to learn and discover. With space exploration, we are able to do just that. In an online essay called “Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost”, Dr. Joan Vernikos,

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

Funding manned spaceflight is a great way to advance technology, not just for NASA but us too. Around 2,000 inventions we use today were created by NASA. These inventions are known as space spinoffs. Things you use every day may not have been invented if it wasn’t for space travel. For example, something you probably carry around with you every day, and middle schoolers like us especially love, is the smart phone. Think of your life without a phone. Our communication would be completely different. Another example is memory foam. Memory foam was created by NASA to absorb impact inside spacecrafts, and spacesuits. Today memory foam is in many of our mattresses, pillows, and shoes. NASA also developed scratch resistant glasses that are very cheap, and many people have it in their glasses. More examples of spin-offs are baby food, braces, and thermometers. Without funding NASA, we wouldn't have thousands of inventions that we use on a daily

Neil Armstrong 's 1969 lunar landing was one of humanity 's greatest accomplishments. Since then, we have found that an infinite supply of knowledge and resources await us just outside our atmosphere. Today, however, critics are beginning to argue more and more that the cost of space exploration is too high, and therefore new technological developments should be left to the private sector. Whether funded privately or by the government, funding of space exploration is imperative because NASA is essentially the only agency with the technological capabilities to support aircraft manufacturing, air safety and air transportation. Space exploration has also resulted in remarkable innovations that has played a key role in aeronautics research, preventative medicine, and allows scientists to study asteroids, along with other space debris and their impacts on Earth.

“One small step for man, one giant step for mankind” - Neil Armstrong. Humans have been fascinated by stars and planets from the beginning of time.The human race has made some amazing discoveries; from drawings on cave walls, to putting somebody in space. Discoveries in space include finding new planets, technology, and theories. In recent years, there have been less discoveries due to a cut in NASA’s budget. This is because instead of the money going to NASA, the money goes to other organizations. The U.S should increase NASA’s budget because it helps find planets that could support life, creates more everyday objects, and gives ideas of how the earth might end.

The concept of space exploration was first introduced to the American public in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy famously stood before congress and vowed that America would put a man on the moon “within the decade.” With hopes of defeating the Soviet Union in the “Space Race” and gaining a leg-up in the Cold War, NASA funding reached its all-time high in 1965-1966 when about four percent of the federal budget was devoted to exploring space. Since then however, funding dedicated to exploring space has nose-dived to about one-half of a percent of the federal budget (Tyson), with plans to cut that figure by an additional $260 million in 2017 (cite NASA funding cuts). Experts in the space-sciences field argue that increased funding in space exploration would re-ignite the American economy and return America to the scientific prominence it was once known for, while, on the other end of the spectrum, naysayers suggest that exploring space is an economic sink-hole that the United States can no longer afford to deposit to given its own earth-bound troubles.

The space industry has produced many amazing technologies in the past from the development of fireproof material that makes up the modern firefighter suit to new forms of power generation. This is based on the fact that the National Aeronautics Space Agency (NASA)

Although space exploration is now being emphasized on and invested in, what does this do to benefit earth or even every individual who lives on Earth? Many writers, engineers, mathematicians, and chemists can agree that space exploration is going to provide more research for medicine and environmental factors. Others may also argue that the risks of exploring another planet will be too damaging because the life or atmosphere as it is will not be the same after humans have made their print on it.

Look up at the night sky, see the stars, planets and our closest neighbor, the moon. Every human being at one point in his or her life has done this same thing. It is only natural to look up and wonder in awe at whats out there. Human beings are made with an innate desire to expand and explore. In the 1950s when there was no more of Earth to discover, people started looking upwards at the sky to satisfy this internal desire. Hungry for dominance and technological innovation, the United States created NASA and embarked on what would become the greatest voyage in human history. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, space travel and the technology which powered it advanced far beyond what any prior civilization could imagine. Inspiring in humanity hope for a future not on Earth. An analysis of the effects of the NASA space program on the United States reveals a radical shift in educational policies, an influx of new an innovative technologies, and a renewed motivation and hope for the future.

The first reason why the government should remain the use of its space program is the jobs that come along with the program. From engineers to scientist there are many jobs that correlate with the space program.”It is important to remember that the $2.5 billion investment made in this project was not spent on Mars, but right here on Earth, supporting more than 7,000 jobs in at least 31 states.” (Bolden, Charles.) Even though the unemployment rate is not as high as expected, if this program was cut the rate would grow immensely.

In the 1960’s the United States was on a race to the moon, and with the help of the technology the used, they were able to win the race and achieve their goal. Some people argue that space exploration costs too much money and the funding of NASA’s programs should be cut (DeGroot). Some believe that little is actually spent on NASA’s programs, and taxpayer money is being spent on unnecessary projects (Levinger). In the past twenty years there have been many arguments about whether or not the government should cut the funding of NASA’s programs however, it would be more beneficial if the budget was increased, and therefore, more money should be spent on space exploration and be funded by private sectors and the government.

The world today revolves around technology and is in an ever upward spiraling path of new advancements. This path is now at what some people call the “final frontier”, or the space age. The discoveries being made on this front are overwhelming in comparison to the technology that the world had only twenty years ago. Space exploration was once left up to the governments, as they battled to be the first country in space, but with national debts raising and the cuts made in response, space exploration is beginning to become new grounds for private business owners. Private companies are already beginning to send off rockets at a fraction of the cost that government does, but if more money was put into the government space program, then they

You hear a lot of people saying that space research is cool but it is typically a waste of money and valuable resources that could be used to benefit our own planet and the many problems that we have all over earth today. But I completely, one hundred percent agree on the further exploration of space for different reasons such as: we are living in a virtual age where everything is done with smart phones and computers and physical exploration is much needed. Second it can actually help the economy in multiple ways not just waste money. Lastly It also guarantees the development of good technology, not only with companies, but among the younger people who need to be inspired through the educational systems we have in America.

The mysterious vastness beyond Earth has allured many scientists to explore and contribute much of their effort to the understanding of space. Although humans have been looking up at space for thousands of years, the physical exploration of this frontier has been only going on for the past few decades. Our current understanding of space is unparalleled to any time before in our history, but we still only know a small fraction of what there is to learn. Governments around the world spend about $40 billion dollars a year (Rockefeller, 2010) hoping to undertake tasks such as “human exploration of the solar system” to discovering the origins of life itself (Tatarewicz, 2009, p. 531). Recently, the private sector has also shown interest in space exploration in order to engage in profitable activities such as harnessing minerals from asteroids. Although it is easy to debate about the benefits and negatives of space exploration in its entirety, it is simpler focus on one aspect of it - the direct effect it has to those down on Earth. Rather than trying to decide whether or not going to other planets is worth it, this paper will argue about the value of the terrestrial benefits of space exploration. It is an important topic to think about as programs such as space exploration change lives and help acquire knowledge. Despite the large costs associated with space exploration, the multitude of discoveries in the past few decades has greatly improved daily life on Earth, the jobs the

This peer-reviewed journal article talks about the positive consequences of developments in future space exploration in scientific perspective. The author states the development of future space exploration by using resources from the solar system will produce varies beneficial results, such as space tourism, asteroid resources, and so on. The main beneficiary among all the others is science. Supported by space resources, the growth of space economy can provide the cost of building scientific instruments, outposts, and infrastructures in space. Improvement in scientific technology leads to further discoveries and knowledge. Which shows the symbiotic relationship existed between science and space resources.