The Space Of Space : Space Exploration Look Easy, But It Is No Walk

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,

Space exploration is dangerous for human because it will take a long time and when you landed on earth you will have to adjust on earth again and

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.

Space exploration has exploded in the past 56 years. From the first successful satellite mission in 1961, to the first mission space walk in 1969 a to the first time lettuce was grown and eaten in space in 2015. These are just the beginning steps towards potential space exploration and advancing technology to the maximum.

Space has always been an unknown to the humanity, and therefore humanity has in insatiable desire to know as much as possible about the area beyond the Earth's atmosphere. Exploring space can lead to many new and exciting discoveries such as (see hubble, planets, kepler, moon rocks etc). When the United States first entered the realm of space in the [1960s], NASA had much funding. However, the motivation of this funding was not for science – it was political, as the government was determined to beat Russia in the Cold War Space Race. Today, as there is no political motivator as great as the Cold War, NASA is faced with a lack of funding and must make hard decisions. They must decide between the adventure and excitement of sending manned missions

The Space Race was a 20th century competition between the former Soviet Union and United States for dominion in spaceflight capability and is still an event that generates controversy. Historians and contemporary analysts who claim the United States won the space race frequently cite “the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon” as the sole reason why the nation won. However, while this event was indeed a triumph, it was stimulated by a series of consecutive feats by the former Soviet Union. The U.S.S.R. was the victor of the space race because it successfully launched the world’s first artificial satellite, the Sputnik 1, leading directly to the launch of the first living creature into space with the Sputnik 2. Later, the U.S.S.R launched the first human into orbit inducing future endeavors like the launch of the first woman in space and the first-ever spacewalk. The U.S.S.R. then “kicked off the era of manned space stations with its Salyut series of orbital outposts” as the series fostered the development of the Mir space station. In essence, although these events were paralleled with the prompted creations and developments from the United States, the former Soviet Union’s space accomplishments paved the way for future innovations in space.

Space exploration needs to start happening again because the US is starting to fall behind other countries such as Russia and India. Neil Degrasse Tyson says in his book, Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, “The Soviets sent the first multi-person crew and the first international crew into orbit. They made the first spacewalk, launched the first space station, and were the first to put a manned space station into long-term orbit” (Tyson 122). The Soviets beat the US to everything other than the moon. The Space Race was a competition between mainly the US and Russia. Neil Degrasse Tyson says in his book, Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, “the USSR held that high ground until 1969, when, courtesy of von Braun and colleagues,

The space race was the event the began the interest in space exploration. It all started in 1957 during the Cold War, when there was tension between America and the Soviet Union. There was also new technology from the war. According to Murray (Date unknown) “Many people believed the nation that controlled the skies could win any war.”(para. 5). So when the Soviet Union decided to launch the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into orbit America was not happy.

In the end, there are a myriad of problems that face space exploration. Some of them are small

During the Apollo space missions, as well as later missions, American astronauts encountered a new phenomenon, space motion sickness. American scientists wanted to know what was causing this sickness, and looked to Russian research for answers, as Russian cosmonauts had encountered this phenomenon before. Historically, Russian scientists attributed the sickness to fluid shift, a process where decreased gravity allows fluids in the body to move headward. This can cause imbalances in hormones or neurotransmitters. It can also increase intracranial pressure, including in the inner ear, causing difficulties in the vestibular area of the ear. A more recent theory attributes the problem to sensory conflict. Through research and experimentation, scientists

Because of many advances that have been made, technology has been enhanced in the past decade. New innovations have allowed human beings to explore the world around us and many other worlds that were once beyond our reach. These new technological advances has made space exploration possible. However, there are many factors that need to be considered for space explorations. Those factors consist of money and ethical issues that have been raised because of this new advancements.

Space exploration has brought with it numerous advances and changes to the world. Included in these changes are the significant impacts to America’s cultural landscape. America’s cultural perception has been shaped by fear, patriotism, and a division between the Country. Throughout Margaret Lazarus Dean’s memoir Leaving Orbit, she explored many of these changes as they happened throughout the almost sixty years that American’s, and the world, have been leaving Earth. Dean delves into the initial launches throughout the 50’s and 60’s, describing both the unease and loyalty to country that drove space flight forward and allowed for the cultural landscape American’s live in today.

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.

There is also a huge risk of the spread of sickness because astronauts live in such close quarters. “During space travel, exposure to microgravity, radiation, and stress alter human immunoregulatory responses, which can in turn impact an astronaut’s ability to prevent acquisition of infectious agents or reactivation of latent infection. In addition, microgravity affects virulence, growth kinetics, and biofilm formation of potential microbial pathogens.” (Mermel, 2013) This just shows some of the possible risks astronauts may encounter during a prolonged space flight such as one to the moon or another planet. Because of all these risks NASA has created an extensive screening process and materials to help counter the spread of disease and infection in a space craft. These advances not only help astronauts but they also have applications for us on earth. We have already seen many of these “spin off” technologies like the implantable pacemaker, Lasik eye surgery and the MRI and CAT scan.

Space travel is a concept that has evoked excitement since the beginning of the space race in the late 1950s. However, as robotic technology has developed, whether humans should be sent to space has been questioned. Sending humans to space has an inherently higher risk than sending robots - human life is just worth so much more than any material cost. Even with the highest level of safety measures, there is still a level of risk. Astronauts have died due to space travel in the past, and there is always the possibility that it happens again. This risk, however, is worth it for the variety of benefits that it provides. Human intelligence provides a level of flexibility that robots can’t yet compete with, allowing for more efficient exploration. Human space travel also tests the feasibility of inhabiting areas outside Earth.