Essay "The importance of continuation of space exploration"

The importance of continuation of space exploration.

At the time the man landed the moon in 1969 many people thought that by the beginning of the 21 century space missions would become a routine. It is a pity but this time has not arrived yet. In fact people doubt if we really need space travels. Nevertheless, space exploration gives us precious information for medicine, mining operations and safety. Progress in studying space also inspires people greatly.

There are some reasons why space exploration is very important for humankind.

Firstly, it is a defence from a possible colliding with an asteroid. If we don’t want to end up like dinosaurs it is necessary to protect themselves from collision with a big asteroid. As a rule, the Earth is threatened to hit a rocky or iron celestial body once every ten years. Collision can cause dust storm, destroy forests and fields and spread starvation for those who will survive. Special space programs aim to detect a dangerous object before it approaches the Earth and to upset its motion path.

Secondly, there is a great opportunity to discover something new. A great number of modern gadgets were firstly discovered for space programs and later were used for «Earth» needs. For example, one great invention is ninitol, flexible but resilient alloy which was developed for satellites. Nowadays it is used for dental braces.

Thirdly, space exploration leads to appearing new medical innovations. For instance, cancer treatment or equipment for US (ultrasonic scanning). Some pharmaceutical medicine, which was developed for astronauts, is used for osteoporosis treatment nowadays.

Moreover, there is a great deal of gold, silver platinum and other valuable substances in space. Some foreign countries are thinking about mining operations on asteroids. As a consequence, in the future we can become space miners. In addition to this, the moon is a great source of helium, europium and tantalium which can be in high demand for use in production of solar panels and modern equipment.

One more point is that exploring space we can find the answer to the most important question. A lot of people believe that life exists somewhere else in space. However, we do not have any evidence if distant civilizations. That is why scientists are eager for the development of more observatories to explore space. For example, the James Webb Space Telescope. This satellite is expected to be launched in 2018 and it will have the ability to search signs of life on distant planets.

Another point of view is that people will have to colonise space to survive. We are running out of fresh territory on Earth, so the only way is to find somewhere new to go.

The last but not the least is that space exploration can unite people and nations. According to the latest events, political situation in the world is very complicated. Working on the international space station can help avoid international conflict between countries. It also could forge strong diplomatic ties between nations.

All things considered, space exploration is a very important and urgent problem nowadays. I think people mustn’t stop it as it has many benefits and gives opportunity for the whole mankind to develop.