Why Is Space Exploration Important

As President Eisenhower once stated, “Every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed” (qtd in DeGroot). According to Jerry DeGroot, a lecturer in the Department of Modern History at the University of St. Andrews and author of the widely acclaimed biography “Douglas Haig”, every year, the United States federal government funds the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with over $17 billion. When Keith Yost, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was asked about government funding on NASA, he replied, “NASA is not only spending money, but also the sweat of our laborers, the genius of our scientists, and the hopes of our children.” As a powerhouse in the work industry, NASA is taking away from the remainder of the country. Before venturing off into space, the US needs to realize the importance of tackling the issues that lie before the citizens here on Earth. As Richard Truly, a retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, stated in agreement, “...I didn’t go to NASA for the United States to make international commitments that wouldn’t keep, to design space vehicles that will never be built (or will be then fail), or to make promises to the American people that will never be kept.” It would be in the best interest for the citizens of the United States federal government to cut NASA funding.

“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.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”-Neil Armstrong. This quote was stated by the first man on the moon, imagine what famous words could be stated by the first person on a new planet. The government should continue space exploration because of jobs, low resources, pollution, and for educational research.

The topic that I chose to study up on today is Space Exploration. I have always had a deep love for Space. I have also had many questions and have often found myself day dreaming about what could really be beyond our plant and even beyond our galaxy.

Throughout the years, the vast darkness has been oddly untouched. Mars has not been walked on, the satellites only orbit this earth, and asteroids haven’t been visited. Sadly, the space program has not taken the initiative to discover the things that will change this world. If NASA executives decide to continue space exploration, many opportunities will arise. In the past, shuttles have unfortunately failed, but this shouldn’t stop the organization from abandoning everything. Even though people say that the space exploration should relinquish their processes due to a waste of money and how perilous the missions are, the Space exploration should be persistent with their organization due to the possibility

NASA and the cause of human exploration of space received outstanding public support and confidence in the 1960’s during the era of Apollo and then the public support slowly receded during the post-Apollo era. During the 1990’s, public support for human exploration had hit an all-time low. But, in the 1960’s, a poll taken of the American population showed that a majority of Americans did not believe Apollo was worth the cost, with the only exception to this being a poll taken at the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing in July of 1969. 45-60 percent of Americans consistently believed throughout the decade that the government was spending way too much on space, showing their lack of commitment to this spaceflight agenda the government had created. Although support for the outrageous spending of the government was lacking, there was little done by the American people to prevent such increased spending. The situation can be described simply as the people being in support of heavy exploration spending when and only when missions are accomplished and new things are discovered. Most people overlook the plain fact that without funding of these programs through the rough times there wouldn't be any triumphs to cheer about. Throughout the many innovations discovered during “failed” space missions, the public has always taken the impact of these discoveries for

In the midst of presidential race between many candidates, Ted Cruz was one that stood out because of his many plans and policies on space exploration. Ted Cruz has spoken of what he plans on doing if he were to become president. He plans on developing a rocket and capsule that can take astronauts clear into Mars early as 2030. He adds that this is a crucial part in space exploration and developing NASA in to full capacity. The project which will cost billions of dollars will further advance the United States into the superior space program over any other country in the world. While many of Cruz’s opponents think that spending money on space exploration is an extreme waste of valuable cash, Cruz still defends his ideas and plans on turning this country into the space super power. Cruz seems to care a lot about space exploration and plans on making that a huge part of his run at presidency.

On October 4th, 1957, Spunick 1 was the first artificial satellite to be launched into outer space by the Soviet Union. On April 12th, 1969, Yuri Gagarin was the first person to orbit the earth in a space capsule called Vostok 1. On July 11th, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to take foot steps on the moon through the Apollo 11 mission. On February 14th 1990, the Voyager 1 space probe took a picture of the earth from a distance of 6 billion kilometers, the farthest anything man made object had ever been from home. Carl Sagan wrote a book with the same title stating: “Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.” These events, and many after them, are some of the most important and revolutionary in space exploration history. These events show why we should learn the importance of space exploration, why we should continue it, and why space is the final frontier.

Humanity's interest in exploring their environment has been universal and enduring. Alt: Humans are a naturally curious species that have long had the desire to explore the unknown. By pushing the boundaries of scientific and technical limits, people have not only been challenging what is already known, but have also been reaping benefits to our society for centuries. In modern times, this wanderlust has presented itself in the exploration of the final frontier: outer space. Despite the financial and ethical consequences of space exploration, it is critical to the maintenance of the biosphere, the advancement of medicine and health benefits, and necessary for expansion of knowledge.

The constant search of space exploration is important to further the understanding of the universe, learning new information and to find new habitable planets. The inventions of telescopes and space rockets have allowed humans to explore space and have a better knowledge of the interworking of our universe. Having satellites in space has helps us learn more from a space perspective compared to an earth perspective. The more we learn about space and the space environment, gather information and find scientific discoveries the better will understand space.The first recordings of rockets were by the Chinese. China started out using rockets for war and ceremonial events. Then China to move towards building rockets that were more powerful. There were three “fathers of rocketry”, (Staff, Space.com) who helped humans send actual rockets into space. The first person was a Russian Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky; the second was an American Robert Goddard and finally a Romanian Hermann Oberth. Tsiolkovsky was the scientist who specialized in the speed, and mass of rockets. Goddard specialized in getting the first liquid-fueled rocket into the air. Finally, Hermann Oberth specialized in the recoil rocket and how to leave earth’s gravity. A couple of important space explorations from (Aerospace, Staff) include:1958-Explorer 1 was the first US satellite that went into orbit. 1961-The first American to fly into space was Alan Shepard.1961-“Landing a man on the moon and

Innovation breeds new technologies and sciences that constantly reform our way of life. And space exploration is a field that is always working on the bleeding edge of our knowledge, consistently pushing the boundaries for what we can achieve. Many people know about the successful landing of the Mars rover, or the Apollo missions to the Moon, and maybe about a few of the technologies that have come from space research, but do these benefits of space exploration outweigh the costs? And why should anyone care about what goes on hundreds of miles above our heads, when there are dozens of problems that already need addressing right here on Earth? That is, how does space exploration impact our daily lives and why is it important in comparison to other major global issues today? Well, while many arguments can be made regarding the low budget other organizations have in comparison to NASA, or some of the future problems plaguing the industry, a few things are for certain: the contributions that have come from space exploration, and the benefits society earns from exploration itself, have a strong impact on day to day life, and an even greater impact on a global scale.

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:

The sustainability of human life on Earth is a question that is repetitively put into our minds. Threats are becoming more and more apparent all around the world, from global warming to the extinction of many different species, the effects of a withering Earth are being observed firsthand. However, human beings are trying to slow down the deterioration of our planets health by doing things like recycling and creating biodegradable materials. Unfortunately, despite our efforts to save our planet, the eventual expansion into space will soon be necessary to ensure the survival of our species. With a deteriorating Earth, we must look to space for a new home. We need to conduct a search using advanced telescopes, for the most promising nearby solar system for the future of mankind (Bridwell 2). Space exploration is important to humans due to our curiosity of exploration, the new opportunity for unknown discoveries, and the eventual and inevitable inhabitability of our planet.

When put into the context of the entirety of human history, space exploration is a very recent development. However, how recent the development is does not hamper the vital importance of space exploration, both within the current climate of society and within the future of humanity. Unfortunately, lack of proper planning on the part of the American federal government has left NASA, the federal agency for space exploration, tragically under supported. Without the proper allocation of funding, NASA struggles to simply survive, much less thrive, within the highly advanced space exploration industry. The space exploration agency cannot hinge on NASA for success given the current state of the

Space exploration, both within NASA and other private enterprises, is completely integral to the American government and the life of the common man. Within the government, it supplies multiple strategic advantages which could be used in dealing with affairs abroad and at home. One such example would be sending government satellites into orbit, which can then be used to spy on foreign countries to gain valuable information to be used in military affairs and maintaining national security. Domestically, the satellites can also be used to predict and therefore prepare for potentially disastrous weather patterns, such as a massive blizzard or a hurricane (Thompson). NASA as a corporation has also been the lead developer for many technological advancements, even ones not directly linked with space exploration. “CT scans, enriched baby food, digital cameras, firefighting equipment, GPS and microcomputers all resulted from technology developed by America's space program” (Kelly). Space probes have also allowed humanity to truly grasp its scale within the universe. NASA’s Voyager 1 space probe currently resides 4 billion miles away from Earth, giving scientists views of the universe never once thought possible and putting the astounding scale of space into perspective (Dunn). Without the advancements brought on by the space exploration industry, humanity would be a significantly less advanced society.