Is Space Exploration a Waste of Money?
How Space Exploration Could Actually Benefit US:
An Jie Tao
Embedded Files
Introduction - The Big Question
Generations of humanity have been investing millions of dollars on the success of space exploration, with NASA’s budget estimated at 25 billion dollars in 2024. But is the amount of money spent really ethical for our society, when it could be financed into our Earth’s well-being?
A Home for Future Generations
Despite this concern, space exploration isn’t a waste of money. In particular, finding a new habitable planet could positively impact our future generations. Considering that Earth is accustomed to be inhabitable, due to the sun’s increasing luminosity in the future, potentially making the Earth too hot for life. It is stated by the “astrobiology.nasa.gov” that Earth should remain habitable for another 1.5 billion years - after that, the Sun will be about 15.5% brighter and Earth’s climate will be too hot for liquid water to persist. Furthermore, finding a new habitable planet sooner could guarantee future generations of life to a contended amount of life, instead of scrambling in the future to find a sustainable planet, which is like competing with time.
Space Technology That Help Us Today
In addition, I believe that space exploration is also a valuable investment for our society. One crucial reason is that space exploration leads to numerous diverse inventions. This is crucial since space has led technology to new advancements in factors such as communication and navigation around the globe, or even medicine, all contributing to our communities around the Earth. For instance, “nasa.gov” states that space exploration has invented technology that has inspired generations, and created new opportunities without anybody realizing, including the memory foam, widely used in medical equipment and our daily wear. This shows that space exploration makes technological advancements that significantly impact our society, contributing to progress such as healthcare, communication and comfort. That’s why space exploration is a valuable investment, supporting generations of society with beneficial innovations.
Defending Earth:
In contrast, space exploration is also essential for our survival. One reason is that it facilitates the protection of the Earth from potential asteroid impacts. This is critical, for example even if we fund all of our finances into the benefit of the inner Earth, it will still be futile if an asteroid strikes our planet leading to the extinction of all traces of humanity. For instance, it is stated by “nasa.gov” that in 2022 NASA’s Dart mission successfully altered a nearby asteroid's orbit, a demonstration of space technology that intends to defend Earth, if an asteroid were to orbit toward our direction. This indicates how space-founded technology could be vital to our safety - protecting our Earth from strikes from asteroids, or other hazardous objects, rather than having no protection against striking objects when our findings are invested into the inner parts of Earth. This makes space exploration an insightful use of money for our survival.
Arguments About Space Sending
However, some people argue that the government spends too much money on space exploration at 25 billion in 2024, when those funds could be better used to address problems on Earth, such as poverty, pollution, and healthcare.
But it is stated by NASA that only 0.3 - 0.5 percent of the government's funds are spent on space exploration. In addition, “nasa.gov” states that space exploration is further connected to the benefit of the Earth, like creating technology like Telemedicine, a satellite that helps connect people all around the world with access to a doctor, helping the society with a more thorough access to healthcare.
Conclusion
Ultimately, space exploration is far from a waste of money. It contributes to our societies' development like innovations that improve communication, medicine, our daily comfort and a sustainable planet rather than leaving future generations to struggle in our indolent. Besides our development, it also contributes to our safety, like protection from asteroids. However, most people still believe that the government spends too much of its share on space when we should prioritize problems like poverty or pollution. But in reality, the government barely funds over 0.5% of his share - demonstrating that other problems are continuously being addressed with a reasonable amount of money from the government. In conclusion, space is ultimately an essential investment for future generations.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse