The Factors to Consider in the Space Exploration Project

Space exploration is a big step to take. Exploring something that seems to have no boundaries is exciting, but at the same time frightening. If the government is planning to launch a rocket off its post, they must take into consideration whether it is ethical, if it’ll benefit society, and if they even have the financial support to venture off to a new world. Many would consider ethics when it comes to exploring space according to Margaret McLean in her article “To Boldly Go: Ethical Consideration for Space Exploration,” McLean puts into light that we do not have a good track record of keeping our homes protected, so we should not ruin other resources (Source E).

If we as humans have a tendency to exploit our own resources, why should we think that we will not do the same to other planets or solar systems? We must put into consideration that we have impacted Earth negatively over the past hundred years.

If we are going to ruin the planet that we live on, there is no guarantee that we will not do the same to other planets ruining other planets for the sake of our own interest is unethical. We should not go invade another planet and destroy it for our own benefit. Another example would be the possibility of virus contamination. In the article “Infecting Other Worlds,” authors Richard Greenberg and B, Randall Tufts discuss how contamination is definitely possible and could bring trouble if people are not careful enough (Source F) The astronauts that came back from the Moon were quarantined because of the fear of contaminating the human species.

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We can not help but wonder if the fear or even the possible chance of viral infection is worth risking the lives of a countless people just to fulfill imagination and answer the widely asked question of what truly is out in space. If space exploration does take place, we have to consider if risking forward or backward contamination is worth searching for the answer to a question.

If we come to the time when we have to decide whether we explore space or not, we should consider whether doing so will be beneficial to society. For example, we have to question whether it‘ll be as beneficial as the advancements the National Institutes of Health was able to make (Source D). Death rates from heart disease and stroke have decreased 40% and 51%, Infectious diseases can be fought off and prevented by vaccinations the NIH and its advancements in the medical field were very beneficial to society because it improved the lives and health care of the people. It is important to ask whether space exploration will benefit and impact society in such a way as the NIH and their advancements have.

If it is not beneficial to the human species, then it is just a waste of Lime and resources prior to deciding that the spaceship is going to be launched into space, we have to take into consideration whether we have the proper funding to back the project. When looking at Andre Chamberlain’s visual representation of how each federal tax dollar is spent, some readers might argue that space exploration programs do have funds and that we do not need to concern ourselves with it (Source C). They might argue that we do not need to concern ourselves with financial issues because we have the funds we need.

However, looking at Chamberlain’s chart once again, we can see that space funding is only six percent. Plus, that six percent is divided among other programs, such as community and regional development, international affairs, general science, and more. The six percent funding is not only for the use of space and technology; it is shared with other various programs. Putting this into perspective, the government should consider reviewing its financial status before deciding to start a program. To make such a big decision, we must put into perspective what the most important factors are to consider: our financial support, if it’s beneficial to society, and whether it is ethical. Putting two and two together, we should be able to come up with the right decision by considering these factors.