Since the beginning of time, people look to the stars for many reasons, some to solve the greatest questions to ever be tackled, some look at the pure beauty and want to dream, and some look to be inspired. Our curiosity for the cosmos has led the human race to develop sophisticated programs to study everything space such as NASA and SpaceX. Unfortunately, we are moving further away from showing interest in the cosmos causing our programs to dwindle financially as well as losing public support. It is a shame to see such beautiful masterpieces begin to crumble, but it isn’t too late. Forward thinkers like Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Elon Musk, and even Buzz Aldrin strive to push the limits of the final frontier.  When I was at a the Future Leaders of Science in Technology at Harvard University, I was actually lucky enough to meet Buzz Aldrin and hear one of his speeches on why we should continue to explore. Even though it was evident that his age was getting to him, it didn’t stop the fiery passion this man had for space exploration. This is when it dawned on me that we need to pave the way for the next generations, and we need to do it on a planetary level, take to the skies and pursue the great beyond. 

Space exploration can be traced back to the late 1950’s and 1960’s. This was the beginning as what was known as, “The Space Race.” The race was between two competing goliath powers, the United States of America and Russia (Dunbar). Russia made the first move by launching Sputnik One into orbit, making it the first satellite to be in space. This was what started the domino effect; short after the US founded the National Aeronautical and Space Administration or better known as NASA, in the summer of 1958. The two powers competed fiercely for years to see who would dominate the cosmos, but the United States always stayed a step ahead and Russia began to run out of funding (Dunbar). Ever since the feud simmered down, the urgency to explore space has dwindled among government agencies and in the public’s eye as well. In this time frame though the earth has made tremendous progress from launching a satellite, to putting a man on the moon, and now possibly working towards colonizing another planet in the near future. 

What does it mean to explore space? According to Britannica, space exploration is, “the investigation by means of manned and unmanned spacecraft of the reaches of the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere and the use of the information so gained to increase knowledge of the cosmos and benefit humanity.” That being said space exploration is for the full benefit of mankind and everything we do involving space, and puts us one-step further on the technology spectrum. Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes especially in industry. SapceX is an aerospace manufacture and space transport company led by Elon Musk. NASA is the National Aeronautical Space Administration. It is a government agency founded to study space and space related technologies. NIAC is a program within NASA that is for the development of far reaching long term-advanced concepts by creating breakthroughs, radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts. The Spin Off program is a program that is set up to take space technology, and figure out how to apply it to everyday life. Carrying Capacity is the max amount an environment can sustain of a certain species. A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person or group. Carbon Dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas found in our atmosphere, bonding two oxygen atoms with one carbon atom. Polar Ice caps are high altitude regions of a planet that are covered in ice. A sea wall is a wall that is built on coastline oceans to combat against rising water levels to eliminate flooding. The fiscal budget is a statement of the financial position of government during its fiscal year based on estimates on anticipated tax revenues and expenditures. 

There are eons of reasons I can think of for going into space and keep exploring but for the sake of this argument and my sanity I am only talking about the most pressing ones. First, us humans have developed into a species that is very wasteful. We do a lot to harm our Earth and nothing to counteract these downfalls. Many solutions to problems like pollution and overpopulation can be found from exploring expenditures in space. Secondly, many technological benefits have risen from space exploration. The standard of living would not quite be what is today without space and NASA. They are a very important company that leads this nation is science endeavors and support. Third, Space exploration offers not just scientific benefit but also in the nature of philosophy. Since the beginning of time people have looked to the cosmos for answers on the big questions like how did we get here? Where should we go from here? Is there a God? Space offers an outlet to ponder these questions because the vastness of it must offer some answers right? We just have to go and find them. All that is space exploration wont always be glory, there are some drawbacks from space exploration of course. The first would have to be the public does feel we spend a lot on the programs put in place for NASA and feel that money should be put towards something else. Yes there are a lot of problems that could be solved immediately with the money NASA receives but we want long-term right? Secondly not only do people thinks this is a waste of money but also time. People feel it is not necessary to continue to explore, we should just stop where we are and call it a day. So much is unknown about the universe around us and it is a little sad that everyone just wants to give up.

Larry Niven, a praised science fiction author said, “The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn’t have a space program. And if we become extinct because we don’t have a space program, it’ll serve us right!” Mr. Niven is putting a huge emphasis on the importance of our program and the possibility of going extinct if we let it die out. He makes a very good point because today is a scary time for planet earth. She has been used and abused for a very long time, and everything must die at one point, and it is become more prevalent for mother earth as the days pass by. 

First, according to World Population History, the Earth has a carrying capacity of 10 billion people, and the capacity could be reached by the year 2050. Carrying capacity is the max amount of a certain species that one area can hold where everyone will have enough space and resources. Therefore, the carrying capacity for humans on planet Earth is roughly 10 billion. Carrying capacity cannot only be attributed to growth of the human race, but also the role that humans play in the environment as well. For example take a look at the carbon footprint or, CO2 impact that the human species has had on planet earth. A carbon footprint keeps track of how much biological waste humans create (All About Carbon Dioxide). As of now in the year 2017, we are in an overshoot of waste. This means we consume too many resources too quickly, and produce so much waste behind it, that 1.5 to 3 whole Earths would be necessary to sustain us within the next 25-30 years if we keep at the rate we are (All About Carbon Dioxide).

Another alarming factor that increases our carbon footprint is our use of fossil fuels and the gasses that they produce. The main product of fossil fuels is carbon dioxide, which is a gas that is colorless, odorless, and is a heat trapping gas. With more and more humans coming about on earth there is a carbon problem because humans produce carbon in virtually everything we do that is not natural such as driving cars, using electricity, or mass producing products. With all this heating of the earth, water levels begin to rise causing flooding. You can see evidence as some countries such as Indonesia who are combating rising sea levels by producing more and more sea walls like the one in Jakarta, where its estimated to be 15 miles long, 2 meters above sea level, and cost 40 billion for its construction (Sherwell). This is alarming because now the nations capital is sinking at an alarming rate of 25 centimeters a year, and they are currently four meters below sea level already. Major countries are affected as well such as the United States on our coastline. More and more efforts such as the ones in Miami Florida to combat flooding are becoming prominent in our everyday lives. At the rate we are heating the Earth, the polar ice caps will be completely wiped out, along with all the fresh water it had to offer, ecosystems will collapse, and it causes more problems for us financially as well. 

Speaking on the topic of water not only is too much of it is going to be flooding our land, but we won’t have any water to drink! Aquifers are underground water reservoirs that can be tapped for its fresh water using wells and other methods (Frankel). According to a study at NASA, some of the world’s largest aquifers are being depleted with a rate that is overshooting the natural process of Earth. What this means is that people are taking more water than can be put back. For example major rivers in the west such as the Colorado river, have gone through many spouts over the decade where the river will put no water into the ocean because it is being depleted so bad (Frankel). Another prime example would be the state of California, which has tapped roughly 60 percent of its water use from aquifers underground. This is alarming because it is a 20 percent increase from the normal water usage (Frankel). Senior water scientist at NASA’s jet propulsion Laboratory even stated, “The water situation is quite critical.” To put it into perspective, these are only the problems of first world countries where we have yet to see or feel the effects of over usage. Places such as Northwest India, African city-states, and places in the Middle East endure the most stress from over usage of fresh water. With a combination of dwindling water and over population, it creates an environment that is least to say unpleasant and unhealthy (Frankel). With a decrease in water in these areas could mean higher death tolls, more disease, and competition for resources will increase as well.

When combining the problem of carrying capacity, rise in greenhouse gasses, and scarcity of water, it creates a recipe for disaster. This is alarming because this disaster is cooking, and it is set be served in roughly 50-100 years. The solution to this problem is to move up. When we invest in space technology we invest in a better tomorrow, mainly to hopefully move off of this planet. Elon Musk CEO of SpaceX says, “In order for us to have a future that is exciting and inspiring, it had to be one where were a space bearing civilization.” If we stay here on this planet too long it will be the demise of the human race. We have to be able to pick up our bags and move forward to a better tomorrow. It wont be easy to do but nothing good comes easy. We must keep exploring space, inventing new things and obtaining all of our options to create a better tomorrow.

A scientist created everything we use in our everyday lives such as phones, computers, and medical technology, more of those inventions were created at a NASA space center for technology. Not many people know about this program but in 1967 NASA put into place its “spin-off” program (Howell). The Spin Off program was intended to take technologies used in space missions, and applies the same technologies to everyday life. NASA’s chief Technologist David Miller says, “Technology transfer is the agency’s oldest continuously operated mission, but our work is ongoing and of continuing significance. Today there are many new technologies being developed at NASA, and we are hard at work accelerating the rate at which they end up in the hands of companies and organizations that can put them to use in spinoff applications.” This goes to show that this program is still of relevance and very useful to making life better here on Earth. For example, coming out of the 2016 Spin off program year many new things were created, mostly noting the ability for companies to turn waste products into useful petroleum products, new treatments for osteoporosis, and new satellite systems that can predict the crude productions of crops all over the planet (Anderson). NASA has its hands in more technologies than you think, many that you would use or know someone that could use it. Another prominent program is the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). This is a program used to give out grants to young minds to take on aerospace endeavors that could possibly arise within 50 years (Cassanova). With programs like these being funded, we can change the paradigm of science and engineering, which would result in new knowledges and expand our capabilities of discovery (Cassanova). The best part about it all is NASA receives the last cut of national funding from the government and one of the smallest cuts, and they are able to produce astonishing products and gadgets. According to the 2016 NASA budget request, in the year 2016 they received 18.5 billion dollars (Obama). Yes, this is an absurd amount of money to you and I, but to put it into perspective, the budget for unemployment and labor in 2016 was 1,369.1 billion, Medicare and health was 1,106 billion, and even military spending was 634.2 billion (Tucker). Neil Degrasse Tyson, an advocate for the sciences has even crunched the numbers for us. NASA get less than 1% of the national fiscal budget (Dunford), if the government were to take all this money away from NASA and put it towards somewhere say education and public affairs, it would only make one fiftieth of a difference in that field, which is minuscule to say the least (Tyson). Therefore, the little guy on the budget is one of the biggest contributors in paving the future forward. Imagine if we took one fiftieth of the budget from each receiver, and donated it to NASA. The possibilities our space program could do with that much money, we can be flying commercially in space in no time what so ever, improve human life even more, and possibly colonize other places (Howell). NASA is full of big picture thinkers, which has been evident in the past; we need to invest in these minds today, so the lives of tomorrow will thrive vibrantly.  

The stars and cosmos have captured the mind of many philosophers and scientists, it is a place of pure aw and mystery and I think that is why so many people are attracted to them. In ancient times, science was not pure, it was only applicable, only a few dared to try to answer questions about the great beyond, why are we here and where did we come from. As Socrates once said, “Wisdom begins in wonder.” It is beneficial for humans to gaze and wonder on the stars, it is human nature to be curious and it is a large void up there that has been filling up since the times of Aristotle and Socrates.

All in all, there is more to space exploration than just scientific facts and usefulness of tangible items, but it also presents a philosophical side as well (Intini). You can imagine scientific facts as a looking glass to how we view the world, when we are presented with new information on a matter, our whole view point can change, a notable one is history was proving the world was not flat, it threw the world in a uproar and everything began to change. Science isn’t perfect; it can always change and have a different outcome. It is important for us to continue to question the big things in life, what is gravity, where is the end of our universe, why do we move so fast through space and not feel anything. Answers to questions like these can bring a new perspective on the world around us causing science to change creating new opportunities and foreseeing dangers we were blind to in the past (Orsulak).

Many would argue that going to space and exploring is a waste of time and money. First, many say that science and space exploration do not go hand in hand, that the moon landing wasn’t real science and it was more of a political flex (Munevar). Over time, we have shown to develop more than just a powerhouse that is NASA’s history. True one can argue that it doesn’t go hand and hand with pure science, but space exploration does go hand in hand with technology development, which is a branch of science. There are many examples of justification that proves NASA is relevant that are stated above. 

Neil Degrasse Tyson as said earlier, crunched our numbers and has shown that if NASA were to be shut down the money taken from them would have meniscal effect on projects. This shows that NASA itself is not a waste of American tax dollars considering so little goes to them. Technologies are constantly improving though, making costs of projects even cheaper. Methods such as recycling kinetic energy for spacecrafts have shown to save fuel and bring down the cost of space launches (Turek). Other corporations such as SpaceX are private companies who don’t take tax dollars directly like the government does for NASA.  Therefore, you cannot make the argument that Elon Musk is wasting any money but his own. This is good for space exploration because private industries CEO’s such as Mr, Musk can pave forward ideas and inventions for space traveling and exploration.  

Another main argument people make against space exploration is we should deal with the problems of humanity first before looking into the heavens. Some of the world’s major problems like overpopulation, starvation, energy sources, and generally making life more pleasant here on Earth. The kicker is all of these things can be solved through scientific advancements made by NASA specialists and scientists. For overpopulation there are a few scenarios that could play. The first is to wait for another worldwide major disease, or another mass genocide, which both sound unappealing and I hope I never live to see one of them. The second is move off planet earth to create space. No one said it was going to be easy, but at least this way we don’t have to lose millions of human lives, no one wants to go through losing loved ones. Yes, many people on earth are starving but as stated earlier, the spin off program has created technologies to project crop production across the globe to see where food is needed the most. Without this program the world would be in much worse shape with a lot less food we would be competing for. People also say we need to find better energy sources to sustain planet earth. Guess what, the greatest amount of energy in our solar system is right above us every day, the sun. Current technologies are already working in space to harness the suns energy and store it, but the budget for projects like these are cut short so we can’t get the results everyone is expecting. If we invest more in solar energy we could create an abundance of clean energy that would last us millenniums because the sun isn’t dying anytime soon. Lastly, people think the space program doesn’t make life better here on Earth. Without it, we wouldn’t have satellite TV, cellphones, GPS, and many other useful technologies that none of us could live without. We have come to be a culture that thrives off technological advancements and if we were to stop progressing forward, or lost this technology, we would be lost and people will probably lose their shit. 

Overall, I believe it to be of upmost importance that we continue to keep our space program thriving and invest more into its future. People are ignorant to the fact that we owe so much to the programs that provide for us, without it we would still be living in industrial times, polluting our atmosphere and killing our earth without any remorse. It is almost too late for our planet to make it, but it is not too late for our human race. If we can collaborate together to continue to pave the way forward, the possibilities will be unimaginable and results would be infinite. It is in the best interest for humans to continue to invest and be proud of space programs everywhere. 
