The Colonization of Space

As for the people that think that going to the moon is a waste of resources. Helium-3 is an abundant resource on the moon- a rare molecule on earth. This can be used for future fusion energy and can virtually pay for the moon mission one-hundred times over. The amount of meteors that hit the moon is very high. Because of this, these meteorites can have materials in them that can help fuel the colony on the moon. But even if it isn’t profitable: Why would you not want to see a settlement on a place other than

Throughout history, peoples have migrated to new lands in order to exploit the new land’s resources. So according to Cruddas (2016), going into outer space is just repeating what others have done in history. According to Belfiore (2014), mining asteroid is done

Planet Earth is not going to last forever. Sooner or later the human race will have to look for somewhere else to call home. Whether it is from overpopulation, global warming, or even the sun exploding, one day humans will need a new home. Of course, this probably will not be the case for a large amount of time; nevertheless, scientists have already started to examine various options for possible space colonization. Sending a colony into space is no small task, so there are loads of problems and obstacles that humanity will need to hurdle to do this successfully. In order for humanity to permanently create settlements outside of Earth’s atmosphere, there needs to be advancements in many different

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.

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.

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.

Space exploration funding has been drastically reduced since the conclusion of the Space Race. Even though the Space Race is no longer relevant, it has positively affected human civilization, and we should continue to invest in space exploration to continue this trend. The first and primary reason we should continue to work with space is to aid industries on earth. Most notable is the use of satellites for purposes such as commercial communications, the GPS system, and meteorology. The second reason is because humans have an inherent hunger for knowledge, and space funding helps us develop technology for seeing what’s beyond earth. Space probes such as New Horizons and telescopes such as the James Webb Telescope have expanded our knowledge

Rand Simberg’s article, “Homesteading the Final Frontier: A Practical Proposal for Securing Property Rights in Space,” addresses the lack in current legislation involving ownership of celestial property. Furthermore, Simberg goes over the loopholes in current legislation such as the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the 1979 Moon Treaty as well as solutions in support of space property rights. Simberg provides reasons on why homesteading lunar and other celestial properties such as asteroids could be beneficial to the planet not only scientifically, but also economically. The concepts Simberg describes in his article are presented in an organized and well developed manner. Therefore, I believe that this article would definitely be useful in my research paper because it provides sufficient evidence on the benefits of commercializing space.

Humans have dreamed of leaving the earth and traveling space for many years, and up to this day they have taken many steps in the right direction. Yet, with every new frontier they approach, new problems loom over the horizon. Some of these problems arise right here on Earth. Some of the issues have been resolved, such as escaping the forces of gravity to reach outer space. Most of the problems are far more arduous and the solutions need more time to be worked out properly. In “The Coming Schism” by James E. and Alcestis R. Oberg, they posit that humans can colonize space. Humans need to buckle up and build the technology which will help to solve problems that would arise to

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.

These expansive freedoms, of “exploration and use”, and “free access” to all areas of celestial bodies, and freedom of scientific investigation, are very broad in scope and conception. Article I of the Outer Space Treaty gives States the right to explore and use outer space: the word ‘use’ can be interpreted to encompass both non-economic and economic use. Also, in Article I paragraph 2 of the Outer Space Treaty the right of the free exploration and use of outer space and celestial bodies, without discrimination of any kind, on the basis of equality and in accordance with international law is specified. Yet, there is no international agreement, whether the right of “free use” includes the right to take and consume non-renewable natural resources, including minerals and water on celestial

The asteroid mining industry will get nowhere if they can not be sure they even own the materials they mined. Thankfully, there is legislation waiting to be passed in the House of Representatives that will ensure companies own the materials mined from asteroids. Eventually, asteroid mining will become a reality. When it does, asteroid mining will have numerous effects on the global economy.

In the early 60s, President John F. Kennedy led America into a space race against the Soviet Union. American men and women across the nation backed this goal, allowing NASA to take great leaps in advancing its space exploration programs. This unified nation fulfilled its goal, and Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. However, since then, America’s space exploration has only declined. Funding for NASA has been drastically cut, thus greatly limiting the opportunities for exploring the cosmos. Understanding and exploring the universe is detrimental to the advancement of the United States and opens the door for vast possibilities. If the government chooses to limits its own advancement, then that responsibility must fall

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.

This article is useful to my research because of the analysis of the relationship between each step in space exploration and the possible benefits in the science field. Although this article is shorter than most of other resources, it clearly explains the whole processes of space exploration as a benign cycle, space resources produce economy, economy provides technologies, technologies creates opportunities to future exploration, future exploration leads to more discoveries and resources, and then back to increase in economy. It is a unique perspective of explaining the reason why we need to explore outer space and mining resources, each step produces considerable benefits.