Should Investment into Space Program Be Continued - Essay Example

?CAUSE AND EFFECT Should Investment into Space Program be continued? Thesis and Introduction Continual investment into space program is necessary forthe future of the human race and the betterment of it. Research by the Cable News Network (2012) revealed that America is currently a divided country when it comes to the idea of whether or not investment into space program should be banned. Indeed, the survey revealed that 50% of respondents wanted the program banned whiles 50% wanted it continued (Adamu, 2012). But in this paper, a firm stand is taken on the need for the investment into space program to continue. Before specific advantages and merits associated with space program will be outlined, a general background into space program shows that there has been a gradual itemization of success rates with each of the visits that have been done over the years (Brophy, 2002). Indeed, at the very early stages, there was very little to show as the advantage and merits of space program and so many were they who felt that the program did not need to continue. But after decades of journey into space, there is much evidence to suggest that much revelations are being made about space life that are highly necessary for the survival of the human race on earth. If for nothing at all, the earth as we know it to be today was not discovered in a day. In fact the five planets of the earth were discovered at different times in world history but together, a collective society of planet called earth can be boasted about, being connected with a simple device called the computer, causing the whole earth to be nothing more than a global village. So who knows what the future relationship between the earth and space would become? Will it be prudent to stop the battle half way? Why would it be necessary to see the glass as half full instead of half empty? Indeed, if the discovery of the various continents had been seen as a waste of money at any point in time, there is no the regional benefits being enjoyed today would have been present. The following points shed more light on reasons why continual investment into space program should continue to be seen as a necessity for the country and not as a liability. Hub of Resources for Medicinal Purposes There is evidence to the effect that the survival of the human race is highly dependent on medicine and for that matter, the pharmaceutical industry. This is because this industry has been responsible for the production of life saving drugs that have protected the human cells from depleting and destroying at a rate, faster than it was originally created to be (Doniger, 1999). But has the medicine industry come to that stage where it can be said that it has completed its entire breakthrough with medicine and drug production? The simple answer is no. as a matter of fact there remains so much to be done such that man has resorted to the use of the weirdest forms of interventions, only to make discoveries and breakthroughs in medicines. So for the fact that after 1985 Dan Carter joined the NAASA and came back from space with the development of space-produced crystal used in the production of atomic components of albumin, which acts as an essential human protein (Adamu, 2012) would be called a useful discovery associated with investment in space. Knowing cancer to be one of the deadliest medical conditions that man has ever battled, it is refreshing to note that the findings made through the space-produce crystal led to the development of various cancer drugs and skin care medicines (Wagner, 2006). If such precious resource exists in space for the medicinal need and use of humankind, there can certainly not be a justification on why investment into space program should be halted – for who knows; tomorrow may be the discovery of resources for the production of drugs to cure AIDS. Advancement in Information Technology There is a saying that if you do not know where you are going, any road takes you there but you will never knows whether you have reached (Brophy, 2002). In simple terms, not having enough information about one’s self will lead to the haphazard way of doing things and this will be a major failure for whoever is involved. For such a long time, we had lived in the world without knowing the shape of the earth, the quantum of vegetation and oceans in it and so on. Due to this lack of knowledge, we did not have a true appreciation of the value of the earth, how much we were losing through our daily activities and how much more we needed to do to ensure that the earth did not become depleted. Today, much of all these knowledge are known but how did that happen? It happened because there was large amount of data collected in the volumes of over 4.5 petabytes on the earth through the use of NASA’s satellites (Wagner, 2006). The NASA Earth Observing System Data Information therefore remains one of the largest discoveries in information technology, making accessibility to information and the advancement of information system so rapid. Interestingly, Adamu (2012) notes that investment into space program has not been useful only for the expansion of knowledge about the earth but that “hospitals, cell-phone providers, businesses and organizations now use this same technology to store information.” Possible home for tomorrow There is evidence to support the fact that the earth on which we are living today is fast depleting and that it is constantly failing to perform its role of sustaining human life. Some of the evidence to this assertion includes global warming and scarcity of arable land with growing world population. All that these indications give is that it is high time man started looking for a new home for himself. A place that can accommodate us and ensure that we survive. So if man has visited space and back, living restricted but relatively successful life there, why should further investment into such programs not be continued to ensure that there comes a time when constituencies within space such as Mars, which has already showed signs of support for human life be continued to be developed to become a home for man’s tomorrow? Conclusion and Affirmation A decision to discontinue investment into space program would be a decision to cut short on the future of the human race because exploration into space has by far proved to be highly necessary for the future survival of the human race. If for nothing at all, there has been a clear realization of a future world that further advancement could make the present choking population of the earth take over. Indeed, all the point and arguments raised as justifications as to why the spending on space investment should continue notwithstanding, the writer sighs greatly with a group of commentators who have actually said that the quantum of spending on space program could be cut down. As far as this is not a call for the entire investment to be cancelled or ceased, it is within the premise of the current point taken that investment in space program should continue. Once the spending is cut down, other sectors of the economy that have often suffered from insufficient budgetary allocation may have some financial relieve. This way, the benefits that were supposed to be enjoyed from those sectors but have been paralyzed to the ordinary citizen will be reviewed. In conclusion therefore, the investment into space program ought to continue because it is very instrumental to the survival of the human race. However, it is important that the spending into the space program will not be done at the expense of other sectors of the economy as that will deny the citizenry from enjoying from the fruits of those sectors of the economy. REFERENCE LIST Adamu Zaina. Exploring space: Why’s it so important? 2012. Web. February 28, 2013. Brophy, J M. Perspectives from the past: primary sources in Western civilizations. New York: Adam Smith, Wealth of nations. 2002. Print. Doniger, W. Splitting the difference. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1999. Print. Wagner, M. Born in the USA: How a Broken Historic System. Berkeley: University of California, 2006. Print. Read More