Space Exploration and Travel: Necessary or Waste?

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Space Travel Synthesis Essay In America, space travel is a controversial issue that many discuss. Although exciting, some people find it unnecessary and a waste of money. There are also many risks associated with space travel and many issues are more important than space travel that should be focused on. There are ethical, diplomatic, and economic issues that need to be considered before making decisions about space exploration. Before making decisions on space travel, the most vital thing to consider would be ethical issues that need to be dealt with. In world history, there has always been a moral dilemma on stepping onto and taking over other people’s land and property. One problem would be what “a fair process for commercializing or claiming property in space” (Source I) would be. During English colonialism, there was “the moral permissibility of settling on lands already occupied by the indigenous people of America or Amerindians.” (Source I) When traveling to space, people are stepping into a foreign land which they do not own. Although some may say that space and planets, as far as humans know, have no inhabitants that own it, there are no problems with people taking it over. Just because space and other planets are not inhabited, does not mean that humans deserve it or own it. Humans already “do not have a very good track record in protecting [their] planet home. [People] have expanded human presence into pristine forests resulting in the disruption of migratory routes, soil erosion, and species extinction.” (Source E) Who is to say, that what humans are causing on planet Earth will not affect “the outer reaches of the solar system?” (Source E) Diseases are brought back and forth between countries all the time, one su... ... middle of paper ... ... resources. Once the ethical, diplomatic, and economic issues have been settled, then space exploration should be considered. It can expand human civilization, but it is not a necessity and can even be detrimental. Works Cited (Source I) Lin, Patrick. “Space Ethics: Look Before Taking Another Leap for Mankind.” Editorial. Nanoethics. N.p., 7 May 2006. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. . (Source J) Huebert, J H, and Walter Block. “Space Environmentalism, Property Rights, and the Law.” Editorial. ProQuest. N.p., 2007. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. . (Source K) Flowers, Sarah. “Understanding: Space Travel.” Rev. of Understanding: Space Travel. PoQuest. N.p., Aug. 2000. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. .

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