The Benefits of Space Exploration Essay

Although it is true that there is no concrete outcome “for using taxpayer money” to fund space programs, it does not mean in any way that the money is not being used to help our society grow (Source H). The bulk of the money funded to space exploration goes towards the incomes of thousands of skilled employees who create such successful space missions. It can be assumed that less than one percent is being used from the federal dollar on manned space programs, as space exploration falls under the “All others” category which spends six percent of every federal tax dollar (Source C). Space exploration programs have the potential to discover new technologies and expand on what we have here on Earth, but in order to succeed, there needs to be slight altercations with how each federal tax dollar is spent. National defense gets nineteen percent of each federal tax dollar – a proportion that is too extraordinary considering the United States has access to a nuclear arsenal which is far less expensive and just as effective as maintaining conventional forces (Source C). The United States is pretty much the military for half the world, so instead of collecting all the money from our tax payers here in America, we should collect from other counties that we protect as

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.

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.

     Since the beginning of time there have always been those that have opposed exploration of uncharted lands. This statement holds truth also for the NASA program since the beginning when President John F. Kennedy's vision was to ‘land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.' Instead of all the opposition of NASA and questions such as, “Why should we go to space?” I believe people should ask themselves, “Why shouldn’t we go to space?” Christopher Columbus didn’t have to sail over the Atlantic Ocean and discover America, he could have stayed in Europe but then we may not be living in the United States of America. Christopher Columbus and many others human didn’t stop but continued to explore because they are

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.

On July 20, 1969, outside our Earth in the cold, and darkness of space, the first humans landed on the moon, Neil Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Ever since the moon landing the space program took off, through failure and success we discovered things, advanced our technology and more. Learning from previous mistakes and making sure that they did not happen again. The space program has allowed for the world to grow in technology, unite different people, and teach people about the world we live in. Since the exploration of space has greatly benefited the world with advanced technology and knowledge, along with more cooperation between countries, I believe that the space program should continue.

In the past 50 years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has sent out many planned space exploration missions which have lead to numerous advantages in society and culture. NASA’s technologies benefit American lives with the innumerable important breakthroughs by creating new markets that have spurred the economy and changed countless lives in many ways. NASA is a federal agency and receives its fundings from the annual federal budget passed by the United States Congress. However, there are conflicting opinions that consider whether or not funding for NASA is a waste of government spending.

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” These famous words from the Star Trek franchise may mean nothing to you, but in reality that is how space exploration is for society, other than the Enterprise ship. Space exploration for years has been huge, ever since the space race began. On October 4, 1957, the Soviets launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into space, and shortly after the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, went into orbit on January 31, 1958 thus starting a competition between The Soviet Union and The United States. The powerful Hubble telescope is giving astronomers a look at galaxies formed shortly after the birth of the universe, bringing excitement and curiosity to all. Money spent on space exploration is in no means a waste, due to not only the inquisitiveness of the beyond, but in the scheme of things people all said Columbus was crazy but he proved them. Considering cost wise- the budget for FY 2016 is $18.5 billion

Exploration is a key aspect to ensuring the constant and consistent development of the human race, but is it really necessary to branch out into the cosmos rather than focusing on the Earth itself. Expanding is essentially the ability to understand the unknowing and to grasp unworldly ideas, but without the means to reach those goals: justification, funding, and manpower, what is the point of committing funds to an unforeseen mission such as Space Exploration. Space Exploration is an issue that Humanity faces because it targets the what ifs about the future rather than focusing on the dangers of the present. Drought, famine, poverty, and war, will all continue to plague the world, and will remain tackling issues on present day Earth, and by using immense funding and manpower on what is not certain, is detrimental to humanities growth. Although, yes, NASA has created breakthroughs with innovations in relation to technological advancements, it is not certain that exploring space will ensure new innovations, because space itself is still theoretical and far too vast for ideal comprehension. Proper funding is mandatory for growth and expansion, but not important for the funding of Space exploration, rather it is more important to focus on pressing matters ranging from genocides: The Rwandan Genocide, to extreme poverty and famine: humans on Earth who do not have enough to live. If funding is granted to Space exploration by the public, it will remove essential funding to those

Space exploration can bring new resources and technology to our planet. People should continue to pursue this exploration, which could benefit Earth’s environment and mankind. Space exploration has already made so many contributions to the environment, the economy, and to human health. Deep space exploration can benefit the earth in many ways, even though many argue that low earth orbit and the moon are more beneficial. The resources and information that we can learn from being in space, and from mining and researching distant planets could very well make our planet’s environment and human life better.

It is impossible to stimulate our economy or to find new things in space without a space effort. The space exploration has only begun and it has only been happening for four decades so why stop something that only has truly begun.

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

Right off the bat, the question for most is, with all the benefits realized through space exploration aside, what is the actual cost of these endeavors. The space shuttle program (now retired) was the primary consumer when it came to taxpayer funds. According to

It has been more than half a century since humans first ventured into space, and safely came back to the Earth, bringing stories, findings and exploration success that still leave people wondering in awe hitherto. The phrase “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” has been eternalized ever since astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. Continuing Apollo 11’s triumphant trace, NASA and the other remarkable space agencies around the world never rest to keep putting efforts for more innovative missions towards the solar system. In line with the continuous progress of space exploration, a renowned English mountaineer, George Mallory emphasizes:

In the year 1609 Italian scientist Galileo Galilei invented the first telescope. With it he gained the ability to spot out distinct thing such as the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter (Biography.com Editors). He had created a gateway to discovery that took the night sky from being a black shade glowing with sparks to discernible objects with distinct characteristics. In essence, it gave the sky new meaning and dimension. From observing space, scientists were able to gain a better understanding of the universe and subsequently the world. Than in 1957 the Russians launched Sputnik, a satellite the size of a beach ball, which broke Earth’s atmosphere for the first time (Steve Garber). Now it was possible to venture into space, rather than just observe it. Again, this added a new dimension to the universe. Now instead of simply learning from those things outside of earth, people could take part in it. From this invitation to participation, huge institutions arose. Governments dedicated and continue to dedicate billions of dollars a year to furtherment of space exploration. (Fiscal Year 2015 Budget) With such huge amounts of resources being siphoned off to this purpose, there must be underlying reasons why space ventures are continually backed. If not the resources would be more lucratively used elsewhere. Humans choose to venture beyond Earth though, because it expands and creates industries, sparkes nationalistic pride and quenches man’s thirst to find out what he does