Is Space Exploration Morally Justified?

On February the first, 2003, the Columbia space shuttle broke up as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere. The astronauts onboard the shuttle all tragically died. The accident left people wandering if mankind's urge to explore and need to understand has gone too far or is the Columbia Space shuttle crash just a set back in the long and ever ambitious programme for space exploration?

What happened to the seven astronauts on the Columbia space shuttle is a tragedy. However, I am not someone who believes that we were destined to explore space and I believe it has nothing to do with fate and even if it were destined that mankind is to become a space exploring race, then a strategy would not involve active participation in accomplishing that fate.

We should continue to explore space as we have gained a substantial amount of useful information and will continue to which may affect the way we live our lives.

Some people believe that space exploration is too dangerous.

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The technology is relatively untested and should be examined to a closer degree to stop disasters such as the Columbia space shuttle from happening. This could be seen as a valid argument because there is a long list of accidents that have occurred which are related to space exploration. However, each astronaut will accept that their job is dangerous and death is not impossible, this is why we have hailed some astronauts as heroes, because of their bravery in the face of death.

These people may believe that space exploration should be left solely to machinery and robotic missions.

However this costs money, and a lot of it. Billions of pounds have been spent. Another argument that is related to this one is an accusation made against NASA. NASA has had to take some substantial budget cuts and has come under serious pressure from the US government, although the government is responsible for the pay cuts. These people complain that the shuttle technology is 30 years old and the argument has a lot of truth in it; however, I do feel it is unfair to lay all the blame at NASA's door. Their contributions to space exploration are unquestionable. It is a valid point that space exploration must continue but changes have to be made to ensure that the technology is safe and up to date.

Another strong argument is that space exploration and the research into it is a waste of money, money which could be used to help suffering people around the world. These people may say that expenditure on space exploration does not directly benefit mankind but research to halt the spread of diseases such as aids does. This is not entirely true but I know space exploration is not always successful and may be seen as money being 'thrown away'. I also believe that the governments of the most economically developed countries should give more money to undeveloped countries so they can try to control the epidemic of diseases such as aids. Space exploration is hugely important in the field of science and many discoveries made in the course of space exploration have been beneficial in the field of medicine. For instance, studies on the effect of weightlessness.

One interesting view is that space and beyond has nothing to do with the human race. So spending vast sums of money to try and find out more about it is wrong, especially when it involves endangering the lives of people. I strongly believe that to say space and our solar system have nothing to do with the human race is incredibly na�ve. A reaction in space created the world we live in and it will also end it. If something is far away from you, which is not one of your interests, it does not mean it won't affect you in some way.

I understand that space exploration has been incredibly over commercialised and I do feel that some space programmes have been used to divert attention from problems such as how the United States government was facing. However, some space missions have brought countries and communities together. A recent example is the development of the International Space Station which has brought many nations to work together in cooperation and without thoughts of violence or war.

I feel that space exploration has provided the world with some of the most remarkable achievements. It was not long ago that no-one believed it was possible to step foot onto the moon but here we are today, thinking about finding life on nearby planets such as Mars and even venturing to depths of the outer solar system. I cannot see how some people are not exhilarated to think of a future space station capable of homing human communities. I understand that the option to live in a space station is a long way off and the science and economics behind it may prevent the plan but just the thought is enough to excite me and I think this is the brilliance of space exploration. Ever since I was a child I have dreamt of 'going boldly where no man has gone before'. The space exploration that has already been conducted has opened the minds of millions of people and sparked thought, even if it is unrealistic. I think that space exploration has not just furthered our knowledge of the skies but it has also been able to show people that there is more to their life than what directly affects them.

Space exploration has brought a huge leap in our knowledge and understanding of the solar system. Through the travels of each astronaut, new worlds that previously could not have been thought up have been realised. There will always be casualties of space exploration but this does not mean you can call the exploration morally unjustifiable. The bounds of human possibilities have been extended to unimaginable levels. To be human is more than to just survive: civilized societies hunger for beauty, truth, and knowledge. To stop our capability and desire to explore is not only unthinkable, it's impossible. If you could ask any of the seven astronauts who perished on the Columbia space shuttle if they held any regret for the cause for which they died, I'm certain they'd tell you no.