The Future of Space Exploration

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,

One large project that is being pursued is colonizing mars with a human population. This will mold the future and newer generations. It can make us question the future and what lies ahead. It has been said that it will take no more than 50 years to fulfill the colonization of mars.

I have gathered you all here to persuade you that space exploration is indeed worth the risk despite what a few people think. Those people think that exploration is a complete waste of time and money, but I would have to completely disagree with them because it has many benefits for the human race. Exploration is worth the risk, because it will give us information and resources that we didn’t have access to before we explored that place.

To start with, space exploration generates great wealth for America. “Economic, scientific, and technological returns of space have far exceeded the investment”, said Dr. Joan Vernikos (“Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost” 29-31). Space exploration does cost quite a bit but, the benefits greatly out number the cost. “In 2007, NASA’s budget of $16.3 billion is a minute fraction of the $13 trillion total G.D.P.”, said Dr. Joan Vernikos. Space explorations budget is so limited, yet so much comes out of it. So in other words, Space exploration is risky and does cost money but the benefits are phenominiall.

Humans and other species navigate by determining their current position and planning a course to a desired goal. Navigation normally occurs in the 1-g environments experienced on Earth, but a new environment was added as the Soviet Union and the United States competed for supremacy during the space race of the mid 20th century. Outer space posed many new problems, including the challenge of navigating in microgravity. The first human in space was Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961, but the first reports of gravity-related problems surfaced with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Apollo program during the 1960s and 70s (Homick, Lyndon, & Miller, 1975). With current plans for expanded space exploration, it

Space exploration is the future of humanity. As technology improves, new solutions arise to answer the question of sustaining life outside Earth. Many types of life support systems are developed and used on regular missions. However, determining the most suitable life support system for missions on Mars presents a challenge that this paper will solve. This article compares different life support systems using the Equivalent System Mass (ESM), which measures the relative cost of hardware based on its mass, volume, power, and cooling requirements. Bioregenerative systems are more practicable and secure for longer missions as they avoid the cost of constant food supply. However, the ESM shows that the higher initial cost of bioregenerative systems makes it way more expensive than the Physical/Chemical systems for long-duration missions. For short duration missions, the least expensive life support uses direct provision of water, oxygen and food from Earth. As Mars missions aren’t brief, the physical/chemical life support system is the most suitable. The ESM breakeven analysis confirms these well-known and widely accepted results. The conclusion makes the substantial past efforts to develop bioregenerative life support appear impractical.

Space exploration is devoted to seeking out the unknowns of the universe. Manned and robotic missions alike have contributed priceless knowledge of our planet’s surroundings and beyond. However, with the current geopolitical climate, funding, and other practicalities, it is not reasonable for the exploration of space to be done exclusively by humans.

“The next wave of human exploration will take explorers farther into the solar system — developing new technologies, inspiring future generations and expanding our knowledge about our place in the universe” (NASA 2)

Manned space exploration is like opening a door to new experiences for astronauts. Resuming manned space exploration is imperative to the United States because it creates a sense of

The most notable ones were the Challenger launch explosion on January 28, 1986 and the Columbia re-entry disintegration on February 1, 2003. In total 14 astronauts lost their lives on those fateful days (Pruitt). This could have all been prevented by the elimination of manned space flights and do more robotic space flights. The loss of human life were always the primary concern dating back to the Apollo space missions. One example was during the Apollo 11 mission where Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were in quarantine to sign hundreds to “cover autographs”. This was to insure their own families for years to come since each would fetch thousands if the astronauts were not able to make it back (Joffe-Walt). Not only is it a risk to get humans to other celestial bodies but greater risks of getting them back. Such as planning the amount of fuel needed and thinking of the dangers of reentry into Earth’s orbit. Reentry stage is the most dangerous part due to the hot gases a launch vehicle will be in contact with. Even the most minor nick will cause devastating results which is what happened with the shuttle Columbia. Where a piece of heat shielding foam broke and hit the wing during launch which caused melting of the wing during reentry (Pruitt). This just shows that the risk of human life is high and something that should always be

“We spend billions on space flights that could have been spent feeding the poor, healing the sick, and housing the homeless… [resolving] incurable diseases, crime, poverty, pollution,climate change, unemployment, and war.” (Evans) Yes, it is very costly, but just like many of the other things, the money spent on it could be making world-changing discoveries, and isn’t that worth it? Manned space flight is also fairly dangerous, such as when “an unmanned rocket, owned by Orbital Sciences Corp. and headed to the International Space Station, failed on takeoff. Three days later, SpaceShipTwo, a rocket flown by Virgin Galactic, broke up over the Mojave Desert, killing its pilot.” (Accidents Highlight Limits of Human Space Travel) In perspective, we are still new to human space flight, and there are bound to be risks at first, and a considerably small amount of damage has been done considering how much has been done. There are many things, if lead astray could create dangerous situations, but we still continue with many of them.

“The moon is considered a relatively easy object to land humans on; everything else is much harder by orders of magnitude. It is the reason why we have not been to Mars and will likely never go there successfully with humans”-(Magee,. Space exploration has been going on since the late 1950’s. Since then, the U.S government has spent billions of dollars on the research of outer space. The research done has produced little innovation on everyday life. The attempt to manned mission to Mars would cost 100 billion dollars in the span of 30 years according to space architect Brent Sherwood of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The money and resources spent on space exploration missions should be used here on earth to solve

August 20, 1969. The scene is the front yard of a cozy suburban home. Little Thomas lies in the grass and gazes to the stars. Only a month before, Neil Armstrong uttered the famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” These words inspired Little Thomas. He gazes to the stars. Gazes and dreams, dreams of a time when he would bounce between stars, moons, and planets like there was no distance between them at all. Thomas thinks, “I can’t wait! I’m gonna be an astronaut! I’m gonna go to the Moon! To Mars! I’m gonna go all the way to Pluto! Distance is gonna mean nothing, by the time I’m all grown up, I’m gonna be able to go anywhere in the universe I wanna!”

Mankind has always been fascinated with exploring the unknown. From sailing to distant lands to someday setting foot on other planets, the spirit of exploration is the same. Bur now with the current economic situation and the high cost of sending people to space, NASA is being looked at as a way to free up some much needed funds. Although, there is many problems here on planet Earth that need addressing, the benefits of space exploration far out weight the disadvantages. Space exploration has given us more advanced technology, advances in the medical field, and a boost to the economy and these facts cannot be disputed.

If humans hope to undertake space travel and investigate our solar system and beyond, space travel first have to make it affordable, relevant and interesting to the general public and the private sector and the government have to work together. New technology has to be developed, including more sustainable rockets, new fuel propagation methods and energy consumption techniques that can allow for prolonged space travel. But before making plans for space travel, the costs that come along with launching objects or humans into the final frontier of space have to be reduced significantly. A good way to increase the public interest and to raise money for space travel is to commercialize low earth orbit flights. Low Earth Orbit is only about 400 km above the Earth; the International Space Station (ISS) is currently hovering in Low Earth Orbit in the thermosphere of Earth’s atmosphere (1). Some companies have started selling the idea that for a certain price one can now travel to Low Earth Orbit and get the feeling of temporarily floating in space due to the decreased effect of gravity. Of course it is very expensive to buy a ticket to participate in one of these flights but commercializing the idea of flying to space and becoming an astronaut can help fund future space endeavors. Also, we are starting to see more and more partnerships developing between private companies interesting in space travel and the National Aeronautics and Space