Essay Sample on Space Exploration
Should humans live in space? Some believe we should, while others disagree. Space and the universe itself have always fascinated mankind, and the talk about moving to space and colonizing planets such as Mars has been quite popular since man first landed on the moon, and nowadays that dream could become a reality. Studies done over the years have shown the pros and cons of space, and on multiple occasions, the disadvantages were the majority. Moreover, since the public does not know the dangers of traveling through space and the fact that traveling in space is expensive, people should not live in space.
Space exploration is an idea that has intrigued the public for quite some time. Some people believe that humans should make advancements in space exploration because these new advancements could improve technology and life on Earth can supply humans with new resources. All of these things are significant, however, humanity should not make advancements in space exploration because the costs and dangers outweigh the benefits.
If humanity does decide to go to space, then the population faces the dangers of the unknown. In this generation, scientists do not know enough about space to help the human body adapt to the environments in outer space, which is why there are still problems with actually getting our bodies to adjust to the vast habitats. In the video uploaded by Tech Insider “How Colonizing Mars Could Spark New Kind of Evolution,” evolutionary biologist Scott Solomon states that the lack of diseases on planets such as Mars could weaken the immune systems of colonists on that planet; if it continues down this path, humans on other planets could evolve into an entirely different species. Evolution is a major problem people face when trying to colonize Mars, and space in general, and scientists do not know how to fix this problem. This is not the only problem we face when trying to populate outer space.
There are dangers that astronauts could face when traveling to these other planets. In Laura Sander’s text “Trip to Mars Could Damage Astronauts Brain’s,” M. Kerry O'Banion cites that a study shows that the cosmic rays in space can cause brain problems. Scientists recreated the rays and tested them on mice; after six weeks the animals showed problems with their memory. If a man wants to live on other planets, astronauts must be able to safely travel across the galaxy.
People are very interested in the mysteries of space and are always ready to explore, but at what cost? The majority of the scientists working in the field are lucky to receive millions of dollars to work on projects, and the half-trillion-dollar cost to simply get astronauts to Mars is no outlier. In the article Packing from Mars, author Mary Roache writes, “An outside estimate of the cost of a manned mission to Mars is roughly $500 billion.” With the number of programs that receive government funding today, giving scientists 500 billion dollars would take time. Getting humans to space already costs a great amount of money and the idea of colonizing and bringing more than just a few humans to space is simply unrealistic.
Money is not something that people can casually spend, especially for a project this big. The government must consider all factors. In the text Can We Live in Space, the author states “According to C&EN, it costs about $4,000 to launch a kilogram of material to low Earth orbit and many times that amount to send it to Mars, so trying to ship tons of concrete would be financially ruinous and logistically very difficult, says Robert P. Mueller, senior technologist for advanced products development at the Swamp Works, an innovation laboratory he co-founded at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.” To build on another planet, such as Mars in this context, humans would need to be able to send materials to Mars quickly and cheaply. Otherwise, it would take too long to build and would be too expensive, and with all of the other programs that desire to fund, colonizing and building on Mars should be done as efficiently as possible. Sending a kilogram of materials to Mars for 4,000 dollars could ruin the economy.
A permanent trip to space could leave humanity on the brink of economic destruction and could destroy the well-being of colonists. People’s brains will be affected by cosmic rays, leading to detrimental effects that can last the rest of their lives. The costs that come with space exploration are substantial and could destroy our economy and increase inflation. So what can you do to stop this? Do not donate to any of the NASA programs that are encouraging space colonization, and talk to your state officials about this newfound information. Try to sway them into agreeing with you.
