The Importance 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,

We have always dreamed about reaching the heavens. From ancient civilizations to the modern day world, our obsession of going into space has grown from studying the stars to actual exploration of space. We have come a long way since primitive charts of constellations. From telescopes to satellites, we as a population have progressed greatly in the world of technology. In a mere forty years, we have had more technological advances than the Industrial Revolution. The Space Race has affected our everyday lives; we use the same technology that the astronauts used during their missions for example digital clocks (Dismukes http://spaceflight.nasa.gov). Many industries have benefited, communication companies, industrial manufacturers, and the

The greatest number of advances in exploration and discovery were made during the Space Race (Rabinowitch, 1963). The Space Race supplied vital knowledge about space to curious minds, and allowed Americans to better comprehend the expanse of the area beyond Earth. With new satellites, such as the Transit Satellites, Americans could now receive warnings of hurricanes and storms, as well as view forest fires and icebergs. The Space Race also brought the establishment of NASA in 1958 to oversee the space program and to ensure America won the Space Race (Young, Silcock, & Dunn, 1969). Since then, NASA has made many discoveries, advancing our scientific knowledge, and currently employs about 18,000 Americans. The knowledge that the Space Race provided helped accomplish many historical feats and eventually allowed a man to visit the moon (Cadbury, 2007). The discoveries that were founded during the Space Race resulted in new ideas about galaxies, solar systems, and the universe (Rabinowitch,

Carl Sagan once said “every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring--not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive... If our long-term survival is at stake, we have a basic responsibility to our species to venture to other worlds.” The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA, is executing Sagan’s words every day. President Dwight D. Eisenhower created NASA in 1958 with the purpose of peaceful rather than military space exploration and research to contribute to society. Just 11 years after the creation, NASA put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon, the first humans to

However, NASA has helped to develop a multitude of technologies that were the product of working toward more efficient space travel, including artificial limbs, cell phones, long distance communication, solar panels, and many others (Spector). Technology will always grow in a stable environment, but rarely will such major innovations occur in consumer products (i.e. Phones, Computers, etc.), because consumers will be content with a bigger screen. Now, if you compare what NASA has done, with, say, Apple, you’ll find that Apple hasn’t done anything really notable at all (except for the smartphone), while NASA has completely revolutionized modern

Three main clusters that are developed under this idea of space exploration is the benefits that are gained, ethical code and what it means with regard to the future of the human race. In this paper I will talk about what major projects are being worked on and who will benefit from these. This will also include what laws of space are and ethical code. This will also identify the differing viewpoints on space exploration and whether the big picture is worth the small steps being taken as to advancements in space technology and sciences.

For example, Computed Axial Tomography (CAT) Scanners have greatly improved the diagnosis of disease and injury. Smoke detectors, first invented by NASA, have grown from being installed in only 10% of homes in 1975 to 95% in 2000, and as of today have cut home fire deaths by half (Dubner). Today, there are thousands of “artificial moons” (satellites) orbiting the Earth, without which life in the twenty first century would not be the same. Satellites are now used in not just for satellite television, but also satellite radio and Global Positioning Systems (GPS), both of which now come standard in the majority of cars. The water filter, another NASA invention, has changed the lives of countless people around the world, giving them access to clean water that they would not otherwise have (Otto). All of these inventions have changed life for nearly all Americans as well as for people across the

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.

Have you ever thought about spending valuable resources on space exploration? In several stories it explains to you you about reasons why we should and should not spend valuable resources on earth. For Example some of the reasons are to spend resources on space and some are not to valuable resources on space, other stores tell you ideas what is happening if we do go deeper into thinking about spending our resources. We should not spend valuable resources on space exploration. For example, there are many reasons why we should spend money on earth before we go outer space and not know what we are doing. Another reasons is not to spend money on space is because if it don’t help us later on in the future what is the point of spending so much money if it not going to be useful in the future.

Space technology has helped better our society in technological and inspirational ways. The majority of NASA’s technology has helped improve fields such as medical, transportation,

Margaret Lazarus Dean’s novel, Leaving Orbit, revolves around the thought provoking question: What does it mean that a spacefaring nation won't be going to space anymore? However, the question could be transformed to ask how this nation has been impacted by the era of space exploration. While tremendous amounts of scientific information has been gained, the effects on society has transformed the lives of generations. Growing up in a spacefaring nation has allowed citizens to develop a sense of pride in America’s accomplishments while inspiring children to work hard to achieve their goals.

Space travel has become a growing event in the world and has assisted in advancing our knowledge as well as providing information about the solar system. As the human race continues to grow, the need for resources continues to grow as well and finding new places to inhabit as well as being able to find new resources is becoming more important. The issue that needs to be addressed currently is the air quality onboard the space habitats, stations and vehicles. There have been advancements in that section, but new challenges arise that have negative impacts on the crew. Despite these issues, however, there is not an immediate need to stop space exploration as long as these issues are being worked on.

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.

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.