Тhе Space - Free Essay Examples and Topic Ideas

Commercial Sector vs Deep Space Exploration

In order to keep up this era of discovery, lower-Earth orbit should be turned over to the commercial sector so that NASA can focus on deep space. In a capitalist society, competition breeds innovation.

The government and NASA do not have enough resources to explore deep space while also maintaining their footholds in the lower-Earth orbit. There is already a growing commercial space industry: SpaceX, Boeing, and Orbital Sciences have already turned their attention to space. As more and more companies follow their example, they will be forced to compete with each other to succeed, and as a result, sending astronauts to space will become faster, easier, and cheaper. With the commercial sector taking over these shorter, simpler missions, NASA can allocate their limited resources to exploration.

Unmanned Discovery vs Using Human Explorers

Although it would be much more cost-effective to have the commercial sector take over lower space exploration, there would need to be regulations and policies put in place. These should be decided by experts such as astronauts and engineers. Before we can send humans into space, we must be assured that it will be safe for them and others. The only way to ensure this is to establish a set of guidelines and regulations that these companies have to follow in order to guarantee the protection of all involved.

The human race has always strived to discover, and this curiosity simply cannot be satisfied if the human part is removed. It is logical to send unmanned spacecraft out first, before it is clear what exactly is out there, but once we have gathered information and data as to what lies in wait, we should send manned spacecraft to explore as well. NASA should focus on trips to Mars and beyond to find whether any could possibly be inhabitable. To truly figure out this vital information, humans need to be a part of the process. The presence of manned space exploration in the United States cannot cease because in order to foster discovery, humans have to be there.

Although at this point in time, it might be easier and cheaper to explore space without manned aircraft, humans eventually have to be reintroduced to the process. Government resources can be used for deeper space exploration while the commercial industry takes over the lower-Earth orbit so that the cost of manned space exploration can be covered. The human race never stops discovering and innovating, and space is no exception.