8 Determining Pros and Cons of Space Exploration

The universe is something beyond the human mind can grasp. There is just a vast amount of space out there that discovering everything that exists would be nearly impossible. But that does not keep mankind from trying. Man has learned to defy gravity; he refused to be earthbound. He invented planes that reach the cloud, and he invented rocket ships that made the heavens attainable.

Ever since the first man landed on the moon, the first footprint imprinted on the moon’s surface, and America erected its national flag on the moon, hundreds of space explorations followed driven by the curiosity to know what is out there, to answer the question of whether or not we are alone in the universe, and so on. The outer space is just so fascinating; its vastness so incredible; and its possibilities endless. And all of these, mankind tried to grasp by exploring the universe.

In the recent decades, however, space exploration has become less grand. Most missions are conducted with the emphasis on – faster, better and cheaper, with manned exploration rarely done these past few years. The proponents and critics of the undertaking are engaged in a big debate, with the former proposing a renewed commitment to space exploration and with the latter questioning its practicalities, suggesting that money spent in such an expensive endeavor are better off spent somewhere else.

Should space explorations be discontinued or be limited to those programs whichare faster, better and cheaper? Let us take a look at its pros and cons first before making our own conclusion.

List of Pros of Space Exploration

1. Innovation
Why dabble with something that’s beyond for the mind to understand? Why explore space? Besides being an expensive endeavor, its economic benefit is difficult to quantify. So, why waste time and money? The simple answer to that question is – innovation. Notably, the most direct benefits space exploration offers is that many of the technologies used here on Earth were first pioneered in space. Discoveries from those explorations have led to innovations in the technologies used in medicine, transport and public safety. The GPS, breast cancer imaging, infrared thermometers, artificial limbs, invisible braces, scratch-resistant lenses, solar cells, and chemical detection technology are a few. The NASA Spinoff program showcases all of these contributions to demonstrate that all those billions of dollars spent on its exploration projects are not for naught, dispelling the myth of “wasted taxpayer dollars”.

2. More Jobs
Another most cited benefit of job exploration is employment. It creates jobs for engineers, astronomers, and many others in addition to the fact that space agencies and their network of contractors, such as universities and other organizational entities, help keep people employed. In 2012, NASA administrator Charles Bolden blogged about the Curiosity Mars rover landing, and he was quoted as saying: “It’s also 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.”

3. Education Promotion
Space agencies like NASA always make teaching a priority. The agency regularly offers in-flight conferences with students to inspire them to pursue a career in space exploration.

4. Other Benefits
In addition to the host of benefits mentioned above are the intangible benefits. One of which is knowledge. Space explorations add to our knowledge about the universe and about the planets in our solar system. They expanded the encyclopedia of our race. Then there are also the benefits that allow us to anticipate ahead of time, such as the solar flare sparks, comet landings, possible existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, and so on.

List of Cons of Space Exploration

1. Extremely Expensive
Do you have any idea how much a single voyage cost? The total expense may vary, but according to NASA, the U.S. spends about $18.7 billions every year on its space exploration projects – a big cut on the national budget given the dire situation the country is currently in. As of 2011, the 30th year of NASA’s founding, the total running cost of the program amounted to $195 billion. This is why you can’t blame many for thinking the money used space exploration may be better used for other things.

2. Space Pollution
Mankind is polluting the Earth at a rapid rate. There’s nothing new to that – butdid you know we’re also doing the same to the outer space? One of the biggest disadvantages involving this undertaking is space pollution, and many feel that we can actually destroy space by having satellites floating around and by continuing to launch rocket boosters.

3. Danger
Space exploration, especially manned exploration, involves a number of potential dangers. Many tragic accidents had already happened, like The Challenger Shuttle explosion in 1986, where thousands of people witnessed the rocket exploded just 73 seconds after it took off.

4. Health Hazards
Traveling to space and visiting other planets can have a serious consequence on human health. For one thing, space is an unforgiving environment that does not tolerate human weaknesses. The near absence of gravity and the presence of high-energy ionizing cosmic ray (HZE) nuclei pose astronaut’s’ health in danger. Medical observations have shown that exposure to zero gravity for a prolonged period of time has a serious consequence on astronaut’s bone and muscle physiology as well as cardiovascular system. For example, the increase of gravity from zero to one after landing back on Earth makes it impossible for one to maintain an appropriate blood pressure when in an upright position, leading to an insufficient blood flow to his brain. HZE is another serious health threat. Earth-based experiments on laboratory animals exposed to this energy showed that the ionizing effect of HZE on atoms and molecules can cause cancer.

Conclusion

The cons of space exploration are quite many, and most of us would likely fall in the middle of the issue. However, let us not forget the fact that it has also contributed so many positive things to the human race as a whole.