Space Exploration and Astronomy

When the sun comes up everyday, it brings light to one side of the world while it brings darkness to the other side of the world. Darkness allows people to look at stars in the night sky and explore space with their own eyes. Space is a subject that raises more questions every time a question is answered. The only way to answer the questions space raises is space exploration. Whether that is sending people to space, or sending robots to space, or just looking through a telescope. Space exploration allows mankind to better understand what surrounds the planet we call home. However, explorations into space have consequences either ethical or financial. Space shuttles and human want to expand our race affects the environment on our home planet. While the space program launches more shuttles that affect the environment the cost increases and the launches are not cheap. The taxpayers dollars are spent to have NASA explore space. Yet, space exploration helps countries relations. Peace might not be brought right away to the countries on earth but in space, countries are at peace through space exploration.

The earth as of right now is the only place where the human race can exist, but space exploration is trying to find another place to hold human life. Until then humans can only live on Earth's environment so it can not be ruined. While space programs are trying to find another home for mankind, they are not helping the place they live on humans do not have a very good track record in protecting our planet(McLean). If humans can not protect the planet they live on now what is the point of finding a new planet to hold humans? Humans will just ruin the planet just like the planet they lived on before and can not even protect their own planet. Why should money be given for space exploration to find a new planet to live on? Still more money goes toward space exploration for the expansion of human presence into the solar system(Source E). The money just goes to more launches of space shuttles and production of the space shuttles. The fuel is needed to launch the massive space shuttles and is not good for the environment. If exhausts from cars is not good for the environment, space shuttle exhausts can not be good. With one shuttle launch there is a lot more exhaust at one time (Doc B). The exhaust from just one launch is harmful to the environment around. The launch harms the environment which is not moral to hurt the environment just for space exploration. However every launch to space helps gain knowledge about a subject humans do not know much about, but at what cost. Therefore, launches are harmful for the environment and every launch cost money from taxpayers.

Space exploration cost money just like how everything else cost money. Taxpayers have to pay the taxes no matter what their money is used for. Some of the taxpayers dollars go towards space programs like NASA which spearheads space exploration for the United States of America. Whether the taxpayers agree with space exploration or not money still goes to NASA. As much as I like space and the idea of people on Mars, I don't see the case for using taxpayer money to get it done (Roberts). Space travel is something that is not a necessity to defending the country but it still goes on which cost money along with things that the country actually needs to defend USA. Financially the money is used to gain knowledge but is also wasted. When the shuttle has to remove part of the ship to become lighter it just dumped money that was used to build it. The money was used to pay for the materials to build it and also to pay the workers to build the ship. The cost rises more to power the spaceship whether that is fuel or the electricity to power the ship in space. With every launch more money has to be used.

The money just ends up in space anyways. The money could be used elsewhere just leave the money here on earth (Doc H). The money on earth could be used for people living on earth rather than finding a planet where people can hopefully live on. Humans have to live in the present instead of the future so the money could be used effectively on the Earth's surface. Although only $0.06 of a whole taxpayer dollar is spent on space and other federal expense (Chamberlain). Space does not take that much of taxpayers money compared to other functions of the United States, but money from taxpayers is still taken. The money used for space is broken off in space or the atmosphere and even destroyed in some cases. The money used is based of the idea of hoping to find something interesting in space which is so vast that human exploration has hardly scratched the surface of space. The money keeps piling up in order to explore space which in the end is very costly. Space exploration might cost a lot but it helps nations get along because space cannot be conquered or inhabited yet.

Country relations are complicated on the Earth's surface but in space where there is no designated territories nations are forced to get along. Earth is minute compared to space. In space no borders are set it tell other people who owns what. Space is just open to being studied and providing hope to younger generations for a better life, space exploration is how we build a better life for ourselves here on Earth (Doc A). Space exploration is open for new discoveries every time a space shuttle is sent out of Earth's atmosphere. Knowledge of new findings is passed on to other people and other countries allowing humans to evolve through knowledge. Space exploration is not restricted to any race or ethnicity, space is just open to new discoveries for humans. There are no restrictions in space. As seen from space earth is just one planet compared to many. Humans are just lucky to call Earth home. No other place can hold the human life form while the planet we share unites us(Doc G). A wider and different view of counties form the perspective of space can change the thought process of many countries. In space, borders cannot be seen which makes people realize how small earth is compared to others. Suddenly the different view can make them realize how their problems are not as bad compared to other parts of the world. This can bring the countries together and create peace. Together the countries can unite because we all share the same home planet. Space exploration allows people to see the different perspective and share knowledge to bring people together.

Earth is made up of complex and different societies which all exist because of it. Earth is home to the only living life form in space so far. Space has not been fully searched and looked at so lifeforms of other kinds could still be found. The technology that Earth has (while it is great) is not as sophisticated for extensive space searches. As long as space exploration is available there is a possibility of finding other life forms. Space exploration allows new information to be found about space and shared across the globe to unite Earth's countries. With every exploration damage to the environment occurs from either the exhaust from the shuttle or debris falling from the space shuttle or garbage lost in space. All the technology that needs to be used to fly to space is costly for the organization in charge of space exploration. The taxpayers end up paying for the space exploration. This money could be used other places which makes space exploration a financial issue. While the environmental issue are just testing human natured want to expand their race, damage to the environment around us occurs in order to further the knowledge that human have. The knowledge found can help unite the Earth which helps bring peace to Earth. As Neil Armstrong an astronaut said That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. Space exploration such as landing on the moon allows people to unite and gain knowledge on something that is bigger than Earth itself.

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