Topic > Benefits and Challenges of Space Exploration

Space exploration is a crucial step in the future of the human race. There are many benefits that can be gained from this effort. The expansion, knowledge and continuation of the human race are some of the crucial benefits to consider. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Exploring space allows humans to observe interstellar bodies, whether near or far, would help prepare humans for expansion. One reason to be in favor of expansion is to ensure the conservation and continuity of the species. Overpopulation has become a very serious problem, leaving humans with few solutions. Climate change is slowly creeping beyond the point of serious consideration. The current resource maintenance rate for the population has reached the level of 1.75 planets. These problems that humans currently face in coalescence have made space exploration and expansion an absolute necessity for future survival. Exploration as a means of increasing knowledge is a deep desire found even in early humans. Human ancestors felt the need to explore and learn about the unknown. New discoveries on Earth in remote locations as well as in our oceans have been and are being explored to satisfy this same desire. Space is known as the final frontier because it contains the greatest challenge. It is infinitely vast, so much so that there is minimal hope that anyone could discover everything that is available around us. Human beings desire to learn and deepen their understanding of everything that happens. “They do it for reasons that are intuitive and compelling to all of us but which are not necessarily logical” (Griffin, Michael). When you are in the same position, there is only so much you can collect and learn. “Human space exploration helps address fundamental questions about our place in the Universe and the history of our solar system” (Wiles, Jennifer). Now it may take a long time to learn everything about our current solar system, which is good. This keeps humans busy creating an alternative to war or other conflict (Congress, United States, 15). With this ideological unification, humans would be more than capable of expanding and learning much about this vast universe. But humans can only advance and expand knowledge if they choose to keep moving. Space offers us the opportunity to keep moving. It's full of new places, opportunities, awaiting discoveries, and answers to questions we've only just been able to ask. The landing of man on the moon proves that humans are more than capable of interstellar travel. John F. Kennedy's 1961 speech declaring that the United States would not only put man on the Moon, but launch a rover, weather satellites, and other space fairing projects became reality. Humanity as a whole is capable of achieving almost anything if the motivation is well placed. The International Space Station has played a fundamental role in advancing knowledge of our surroundings. The ISS has “enabled more than 2,500 research and technological development investigations, generating more than 2,100 scientific publications in a diverse spectrum of fields” (Dansberry, Bryan, et al). The ISS is only a short distance from Earth, but so much information has already been collected. The sheer potential of what might be discovered is more than enough to motivate support from those seeking knowledge. The space is full of influential opportunities in termsof resources. Our solar system alone has enough resources to meet the current consumption rate for up to one million years. Large privatized companies have considered this option as a sustainability option. The biggest obstacle to this is the cost of running the task. “NASA's Osiris-Rex expedition, which aims to return just two kilos of asteroid material to Earth by 2023, will cost $1 billion. But Deep Space Industries thinks it can make the ball roll by putting three of its fireflies into space for just $20 million” (Davies, Rob). Space exploration and research provide incredible technology that is used in everyday life. Without the International Space Station and space programs, “we wouldn't have GPS, accurate weather forecasts, solar cells, or ultraviolet filters in sunglasses and cameras” (Whitwam, Ryan). It's easy to take things like this for granted, but they have an important history, whether they get made or not. Something as simple as filtered water is a great example of what many take for granted in everyday life. Research into water filtration aboard the ISS has also been conducted and proven useful. “The first of many land-based water filtration systems using NASA technology was installed in northern Iraq in 2006” (Dansberry, Bryan, et al). More recently, medical research is being conducted in space. Research into diseases and even prolonging human life are among the most popular. Whether it has already been studied and applied or is in sight for the future, all of this has proven useful to the lives and knowledge of those living around the world. Humans are the better option for further exploration than robots. Adaptability is one of the main strengths of humans compared to machines. “Humans are the most complicated and versatile robots we will ever have access to” (Cockell, Charles and Crawford, Ian). The Mars exploration rover, Spirit, managed to travel 3.9 km in its first 330 days. The Apollo 17 astronauts, however, traveled a total of 36 km in just 22 hours (Garvin, Jim). Many points of interest on Mars are places with rugged terrain and large changes in altitude. Situations on terrains like this prove less difficult to overcome through humans. In spaceflight, astronauts would also be able to study in multiple fields at once, whereas this would be more difficult with machines. It is obstacles like these that bring out the adaptability of human beings. Space travel presents some challenges, however. One of the biggest concerns right now is cosmic radiation. A one-way trip would dose humans with 0.3 sieverts. A lethal dose measures 8 sieverts (Boddy, Jessica). But scientists believe this amount could cause irreversible damage to brain cells causing symptoms such as depression and impaired decision making. The next problem would be microorganisms. In October 2016, researchers found an airborne fungus, Aspergillus Fumigatus, on the International Space Station (Boddy, Jessica). This particular one is not a big cause for concern since it is one of the most common causes of invasive fungal infection in humans. A minor concern is bone loss during the gap. Astronauts currently try to combat this problem by exercising 2.5 hours a day, 6 days a week. While this certainly helps, it doesn't completely eliminate the worry or the problem itself. But there is currently a study underway using bisphosphonate. "Bisphosphonate is a therapeutic agent used to treat i