We have taken a step back from the cosmos. In the '60s and '70s,
however, cold war nationalism fueled a space race that brought humans
into earth orbit and then to the moon in less than a decade. But we soon
discovered the Soviet space program was more interested with creating a
space station that would orbit the Earth rather than reaching the moon.
We followed suit and turned our backs to the moon and any hope of
traveling beyond it. Robots and probes aside, we have given up on
traveling through the depths of space and trekking new worlds.
Performing experiments on a space station orbiting the Earth or
travelling a few miles above the stratosphere in a privately-built
spaceship do not constitute true space exploration. Today, our
government -- and many others -- does not see the importance of
travelling into the cosmos; thus, they underfund and neglect the space
agencies.
Ever since the dawn of man, we have had a frontier to explore, and an
instinctual and economical need to explore it. In this age, that
frontier is space -- there is no doubt we humans will be a space-faring
species, but it is our current generation that will decide whether we
will remain Earth-bound for only a few more decades or many more
centuries. The future posterity will applaud our initiative or criticize
our ignorance of the cosmos. I do not wish for the latter, which is why
we must consider increased funding for NASA and all the space agencies
of the world.
We need to fix problems here on Earth first, many say. The economy,
the climate crisis, the tensions between our nations and religions,
these all are situations that rightfully take precedence over space
exploration. We generally see these troubles as independent of one
another, but they are not. Fundamentally, all of these problems reflect
society's lack of any ambition and optimism for the future. Space
exploration changes that -- it gives us hope for a future in the stars.
Space exploration spurs innovation in a plethora of different fields
that could be used to solve our current problems. The Apollo Moon
missions led to an unprecedented number of innovations, such as computer
microchips and CAT scanners that drove our technology sector as the
world's best. Space exploration exposes the next generation of students
to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields, stimulating
them to strive for higher education -- a feat our government is so
desperately trying to accomplish. Biology, chemistry, geology, math,
physics, geometry, astronomy, astrophysics, mechanical engineering,
electrical engineering -- all are encompassed in what NASA does on a
daily basis. With an emergence of new innovations and professionals, our
economic woes would rapidly be remedied.
Critics of space exploration say, "How would space exploration solve,
say, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict?" But here lies space
exploration's single greatest benefit: space unites us as a species. In
space, we are more than just Muslims, Christians, Israelis, or
Palestinians -- we are human. When Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and
footage of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong skipping across the surface
was beamed to Earth, Americans exploded into jubilee. But something
marvelous also occurred: It was not just Americans celebrating the feat.
All across the world -- even some in the USSR -- people celebrated the
first for mankind. If we are capable of landing on the moon, then we can
solve any of the problems here on Earth.
Space exploration is too expensive, many say -- we should focus on
spending more to help people than fund space agencies. If we take a look
at the U.S. federal budget for 2012, 1.418 trillion dollars
is allocated towards social programs throughout the Department of
Health, Education, Housing, etc. However, compare that with the 925.2
billion dollars devoted solely on defense spending. NASA's budget
for 2012 is 18.7 billion, a pitiful scrap left aside for more
"beneficial" spending. But does the 700 billion we spend on defense
really benefit society? Sure, the defense industry spurs innovation and
jobs in the technology and aerospace industries, but NASA's work is
primarily based on these industries as well. If NASA's budget were as
large as the defense budget, the same industries would experience growth
and innovation as they are now. Today, NASA's budget accounts for
around half of a percent of the federal budget, or half a penny of every
tax dollar. On a global scale, worldwide defense spending tops 1.6 trillion dollars. The global space spending, on the other hand, is an insignificant 71.5 billion dollars.
But consider what 38 billion dollars has done: The International Space
Station, the Hubble Telescope, the Mars rovers, and countless satellites
and probes that scour the solar system that bring back valuable
scientific data.
In front of a Congressional panel discussing the NASA budget, Neil
DeGrasse Tyson, the famed astrophysicist, ended his testimony by asking
"How much would you pay for the universe?" Knowledge of the universe can
be accessed with current technology and future innovations given that
appropriate funding is allocated. But the ignorance remains. All plans
for Mars explorations have been delayed to the 2030's, moon missions
have been scrapped, and to top it off, 300 million dollars
was cut from the planetary research branch of NASA for 2013. We can
focus on problems here on Earth, but we cannot ignore the cosmos
huffingtonpost.com
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