The space race describes a period between the 1950s and 90s when the U.S. and Union of Soviet Socialists Republics (USSR) were competing to be the first to explore space. When the U.S. announced that it would launch its first artificial satellite into space, the USSR responded by revealing that it would also do so in the near future, which prompted the cold war rivalry of displaying the seniority in technological advancement ( Collins, 2016) . The space race meant that the nation capable of exploring space more was more advanced and robust, even in case of war. The USSR successfully launched an orbital satellite while the U.S. landed on the moon in 1969, balancing out their achievements. According to Cadbury (2015), in 1972, the rivalry ended after the two nations struck a deal to collaborate in space exploration.
The space program is still relevant as it provides information that is unknown about the universe. Astronauts and rocket scientists have explored other planets, and life scientists are investigating the possibility of life outside earth. Such information is progress towards developing solutions for climate change, one of the biggest current global challenges. Due to changes in the atmosphere, space exploration has also provided data on the effects that earth may experience. As long as space exploration is not done for competition and rivalry, the program is still valid.
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However, the amount of funding and the adverse effects of space exploration should be considered. The U.S. spends billions of dollars annually to support the orbiting of the earth and other planets. Space exploration providing humans with information on earth, weather patterns, and how human activities affect them is essential, but the resources used to achieve it surpasses the benefit. For instance, the amount of fossil fuel combusted to test and finally send the craft into space does more harm than good (Reardon et al., 2017). The money could go into dealing with climate change by cutting down the number of expeditions the explorers go on. Space exploration is relevant, but the activities must be considerate of the collateral damage it does to the environment and the burden on the taxpayers. Thus, the national treasury might need to consider how it distributes its money during allocation.
Nevertheless, space exploration should not be the sole subject to be blamed for climatic change or increasing U.S. expenditure. Other areas such as military spending cost the U.S. heavily, but the benefit is not felt directly in the economy. For instance, a significant number of citizens think the war in the Middle East is an unnecessary burden to the taxpayers (Reardon et al., 2017). However, the general public should understand that the benefits of some projects are not felt directly. For example, from space exploration, the information gathered cannot be estimated to have an absolute value. Still, it forms an integral part of generating solutions for the current problems on earth. Space exploration is not a competitor of efforts, but it should be rather a civic duty to combat challenges on earth. The gathered information forms part of the solutions that meteorologists and environmentalists need to better the world.
Space exploration cannot be eliminated wholly as it also acts as a missile detection and satellite surveillance system. The first launched United States satellite into the earth's orbit, collected information on USSR nations. To date, satellites in space provide information that is useful to national security agencies which maintain a possible occurrence of another world war. The information keeps safe citizens who have no idea of the danger facing them without security agencies raising the alarm. The U.S. has also remained a superpower due to its accomplishments in space exploration. For many years down the line, the United States still demonstrate technological prowess among nations, which is an aspect that is essential in the 21 st century.
Reference(s)
Cadbury, D. (2015). Space race: The epic battle between America and the Soviet Union for dominion of space . HarperCollins.
Collins, M. J. (2016). Space Race: The US-USSR Competition to Reach the Moon . Pomegranate.
Reardon, S., Tollefson, J., Witze, A., & Ross, E. (2017). U.S. science agencies face deep cuts in Trump's budget. Nature News , 543 (7646), 471.
