for Humanity | for Money | for Politics | for Knowledge
Select from the four topics above, or read a brief overview of the arguments for and against below:
Yes, Space Exploration is Worth It
Space Exploration has immediately useful applications. It allows for better or new techniques in communication, and weather forecasting that is more accurate, and observations of Earth that are more accurate, for environmental purposes.
Space Exploration has potential advantages in the long run. Vast amounts of energy can be obtained from solar panels placed in space. Resources from other places may also be exploited, such as in asteroidal mining.
We should explore "because it's there". Observations of the moon, Sun, Solar System, and other galactic objects satisfy the scientific curiosity. We want to know.
We should explore, and ultimately colonize for humanity's sake. According to scientists such as Stephen Hawking, space exploration is necessary to sustaining mankind. Too many accidents can befall life on a single planet. Comet collisions, diminishing natural resources, global nuclear threats, and potential worldwide epidemics are among reasons for us to spread into space.
No, Space Exploration is Not Worth It
Space Exploration is morally wrong. The cost of space travel is astronomical, money that can be put to better use. Even a fraction of the space budged would make an enormous difference in fighting disease and world hunger.
The Nobel prize physicist Richard Feymann argued that space travel has never achieved any major scientific breakthroughs.
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