Is space really worth it? Could it really be the next big thing, or is it the next big failure? When is the mission to Mars anyway? What’s all the controversy about? Maybe space exploration is just too dangerous. What if all the money were to be spent for charity on earth? What is worse: to see a space shuttle explosion, or meet a starving child’s heart wrenching gaze? Maybe the answer isn’t that easy after all. Space exploration, worth over 50 billion dollars, stimulates the economy, creates spin-off technologies, inspires thousands of school-children. Yet is it better to spend this money on decreasing poverty, discovering solutions to social ills, and even finding a cure for cancer?
The EUROCONSULT, an internationally respected organization recently stated, “World government’s space program expenditures are at a historical high of more than $62 billion in 2008.” Spending a minimum of 16 billion of those dollars in the United States alone, the world is demonstrating a record-high interest in the now 50-year-old space exploration age. Many are enthusiastic about its potential. David Livingston, a longtime host of the Space Show, claims, “Manned space exploration builds wealth for our nation…” Countries such as India, Russia, China, Japan, and The European Space Agency, are now striving to generate profit from the new advancements in the space industry. Sparking numerous businesses, and harnessing massive inspiration, the space exploration as David Livingston puts it, “solves problems and enhances life.” He further asserts “…manned space exploration has the potential to return to the taxpayer many times the dollars initially spent on the program.
No enterprise, it seems, has inspired more people to dream bigger than the landing of man on the moon. It became one small step for man and the greatest leap for humanity. “Manned space exploration is absolutely worth the cost,” says Livingston, it has “the ability to inspire others to do hard work, to go to the next step, to push the envelope for the next level of advancements…” Yet some do not fully agree. If you consider that the world is marred by poverty, famines, wars, climate change, and diseases,” contends Nick Gibb a critic writing for the Associated Content, “It should, hopefully, be evident…that our billions of space dollars would be better invested in humans.” The war rages on.
Whether it be for good or evil, space exploration has spurred numerous technological breakthroughs. If it were not for science, such technology as fuel cells, specifically designed for the Apollo mission, would not exist. Definitely, science deserves a pat on the back for technological advancements in the field of space exploration, but for goodness sakes writes Gibb, “if we inject the entirety of the space program’s finding into cancer research instead, we would, undoubtedly, have similar technological spin-offs, and perhaps [even], a cure for cancer.”
Results sprout from an influx of money. A well-watered tree grows better than a tree given only half as much. The technology and advancements are awesome, one may say, and government has managed for “social programs [to] receive about 98 times the amount of money spend on NASA,” as Livingston asserts. Well, of course! There are approximately 300,000,000 Americans in the United States, as opposed to only 17 thousand people working for NASA. A stark ratio offers a stark influx of funds. Of course most money is going to social programs. Yet Gibbs’ does not perceive it as full support for the social sphere. He asserts, “If you invest into any research project, you’re bound to have spin-off technologies arise.” It all seems perfect: funding based on priorities-where social programs are at the top. However, there is a catch: what about other world countries? The annual budget exceeds 62 billion dollars! That is a lot of money. America needs to understand the bigger implications of choosing between space exploration and social care. By handfuls, one removes a mountain. Poverty is a pervasive giant today. Though it cannot be fixed overnight, a greater effort must be put forth to fix it.
Space exploration is just one of the many spheres where government funding is included. The “16 billion budget” which Brian Berger notes, serves only the basic needs of space technological advancement. However, Livingston sees the investments as worth it. “Our people and our nation benefits from the space program,” he says, “we inspire millions of school children to do the hard schoolwork in math, business, science, engineering, and finance…” Seeing the overall achievements and efforts for achievement set up by the space program, one may contend that it is truly a worthy endeavor.
Many sources raise the different sides of the issue, arguing for society to contend with their viewpoints. However, it is in reality a much larger issue than just individual ideas about what is right and what is wrong. Both Livingston and Gibb argue for success. A fine line must be drawn to cure the dilemma. Space exploration is worth it in the sense that it creates a vital inspiration for the younger generations to dream big, and advance their ideals. Though the money used to fund manned space flight is not for social programs, much of government funding is. Impoverished communities and entire societies cannot rise from their dilemma without such an inspiration, as the space program has to offer. To decline funding from NASA and other programs of manned space exploration would only retard the businesses and jobs accumulated around it. It would shatter the common hope of so many young schoolchildren of someday becoming an astronaut.
A true symbol of the passion for space exploration displays a cartoon published in the Post Gazette. The image is of a space shuttle flying through the magnificence of space. On the shuttle are the worlds, “American Spirit.” Stars dazzle in the distance. Below their glittering sparkle, an American flag proudly waves in the wind. The Shuttle is returning from its grand mission. It is returning to its home. Loudly as words can speak the cartoon proclaims, “Still Intact.” The American Spirit is still intact. The space exploration is a symbol of what the American Spirit can do, and will inspire people to do in the future. Without it, social problems will continue, with it, the inspiring spirit of America will continue to thrive for bettering all societies. One small solution at a time will fix the world. The inspiration of space is common ground for communion of peace, and the resolving of social dilemmas. A little inspiration is always good.
Associated Content. AC. March 16, 2009. Space Exploration Must Be Postponed
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1148690/space_exploration_must_be_p ostponed.html?cat=15
Google. Post-Gazette. March 16, 2009. Still Intact.
http://www.google.com
Space News. MSNBC. March 16, 2009. Checking in on NASA’s ‘Vision’
http://www.msnbc.msn.com
Space Reports. SpaceMart. March 16, 2009. Worldwide Governments Spend 62 Billion Dollars On Space Programs. http://www.spacemart.com/reports/
The Space Review. The Space Show. March 16, 2009. Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost? http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1040/1
Reference:
- www.thespacereview.com/article/1040/1
- www.associatedcontent.com/article/1148690/space_exploration_must_be_postponed.html?cat=15
