Controversy over space exploration - Essay Example

The major question amongst others is; has space exploration done anything to enhance life, or is it just another dormant and potential investment, which will benefit the generations to come? It is easy for anyone to develop criticism of an issue that the person would not like to participate in, or which the person finds more demanding to warrant the effort. However, there is constructive criticism that emanates from genuine concerns, over some tangible analysis and considerations, which then sparks a controversial debate.

Space exploration is one such subject, which has raised controversy as a result of the genuine concerns by individuals and organizations alike, as well as some government institutions, over its real value (Adhikari, n.p.). Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze different arguments that have been put forward in favor of, or against space exploration, with the aim of arriving at an informed conclusion, regarding whether space exploration is worth the resources dedicated to it, or such resources need to be channeled to other critical areas of social concern.

According to The EUROCONSULT, "World government's space program expenditures was at a historical high, of more than $62 billion in 2008" (Kotyakov, n.p.). The share of the USA spending in this, which is of course the largest, amounts to $16 billion, and more is still being pumped into the space exploration projects. However, the major question that such enormous spending raises is, are there other critical social problems facing humanity that could have been solved using the same money? Should the answer to this question be affirmative, then another question that comes to the fore is; which issue, between space exploration and the critical social problems is dear to humanity?

Considering that there are millions of people who die of hunger and starvation in different parts of the world, and considering that many other millions are succumbing to other terminal illnesses such as cancer and HIV, then we are left to ask ourselves, if the money spent on space exploration was spent in research to develop cure for such diseases, could the world have been a better place by now? (United States, Congress, 10). The answer to all these questions can be found in the arguments that have been put forwards either in support or against funding space exploration.

While both sides of the arguments are weighty and worth considering, there must be one guiding principle; alleviation of human suffering, which then should override all the other considerations. Space exploration is a major source of inspiration for technology advancement (Launius, 58). Additionally, many children have drawn a lot of inspiration from the space exploration projects and the audacity of the space explorers, thus inspiring them to do even more greater things, that has resulted to numerous achievements and benefits to humanity.

Space exploration agencies throughout the world, and especially in USA and Europe, forms the cream of the elite in the society (Kotyakov, n.p.). Therefore, many children have been inspired by such agencies and those who work with them, to become different other things, through believing that anything can be achieved. There are some moments in the history of the world that will just