Space Exploration

The 1960 's brought new advancements for all of Earth. Machines and men were sent into space, and this sparked a new government agency, called NASA. Space was a new frontier, and virtually everyone was interested in exploring it. Over the years, the interest in space exploration has weakened, and NASA was almost terminated from existence, although there have been many advancements in it over that time. Space exploration should continue because it could help solve many problems on Earth, such as overpopulation and lack of resources. Exploration of the final frontier must continue in order for human life to continue. There are many reasons that space exploration should continue. If Earth ever becomes too overpopulated or over polluted, then perhaps people can move to Mars. The world population in 1970 was approximately 4 billion people, and is currently nearly 6 billion people. The world population in 2015 is estimated to be 7 billion people. There is a possibility that there are useful resources on Mars. Scientists have found ice and some other clues, such as craters, volcanoes, and valleys, that have led them to believe that there was once life on Mars, and they believe that sometime in the future, should planet Earth need to be evacuated, humans will be able to live there (Jakosky 142). Many of the rocks on Mars appear to have been formed by gasses, breathable by humans and other creatures. A process called terraforming will allow astronauts to make use of the resources that are on the planet and create an atmosphere that will support life. One method for terraforming is that scientists would convert the gaseous rocks back into gasses, and use gas-eating organisms to eat the gas, which results in the formation of other gasses. If these organisms continue the cycle, then Mars would have a stable atmosphere for humans to live in (Getz 39). Robert Zubrin, an engineer that is working for Lockheed Martin, suggests that NASA should send humans to

Cited: Arabe, Katrina C. "Manned Mission to Mars: Pros and Cons."Industrial Market Trends. 2004. 15 November 2005 . Easton, Thomas A. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Science, Technology, and Society. 3rd Edition. Connecticut: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1998. Getz, David. Life on Mars. Revised Ed. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1997. Jakosky, Bruce. The Search for Life on Other Planets. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Keiper, Adam. "A New Vision for NASA." The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society. No. 3. Fall 2003 pp. 3-22. 15 November 2005 . Kurtz, Stanley. "Mission Worth It?" National Review Online. 2004. 11 November 2005 . Salleh, Anna. "The Health Hazards of Life in Space." News in Science. 2001. 17 November 2005 . "ThinkExist.com Quotations." 2005. 14 November 2005 . Webster, Bobby. "Space Exploration." International Debate Education Association. 6 November 2000. 9 September 2005 .