The Importance Of Space Exploration

Faced with the potential opportunity to continue my research into space exploration, it is time for me to prove myself worthy of this grant in order to pursue answers to my very real questions. As a superior researcher, I find that I am most deserving of the chance to be funded to travel back in time and see firsthand what the reaction of the public was to the early space missions, among other possible uses of the trip. Your funding of this mission could be critical in finding out why a large percentage of the population sees space exploration as a “waste of money.” Upon learning why this may be, the information could allow me to help create a more effective space program that has the full support of the public.

When thinking about the topic

The International Space Station has recently come to show the results of its research, relating to human studies and life improvements on Earth. According to Ron Garan, a former astronaut and social entrepreneur, “The ISS provides a unique environment for scientific discovery that simply cannot be duplicated anywhere on Earth” (Why Spend Money on Space Exploration When We Have So Many Problems Here on Earth). While difficult to understand why this may be true, the statement really captures the essence of what makes space exploration funding a necessary but costly expenditure. Space science gives us an opportunity like never before to be conducting research in an environment unlike our own that allows us to gather better materials, create better medicines, and to find better methods of supplying clean water (Garan). Thinking for the future, this space research also gives us the opportunity to grow enough food to feed our rapidly increasing world population. By studying the astronauts that live and work in space, we gain the ability to enhance our understanding of the human body, which results in new ways to protect us from many different diseases and health issues. As said by Garan, “Engineering for the developing world and engineering to break the bounds of low-earth orbit have much in common” (Garan) By saying this, he is

For example, when I used the Umass Lowell library database to search for “Space Exploration” my search turned up an article by John D. Rummel who is writing a review of the book “ Why Mars: NASA and the politics of space exploration”. This article peaked my interest because of its main focus on the planet Mars, which is something that plays a substantial role in the public’s opinion of the real worth of NASA as a government funded program. In his review of the novel, Rummel calls attention to one thing in specific that the book is lacking, which is references and answers to the book’s very title. “Why Mars?” The book asks, and the author of the book tends to elude that question while instead deciding that other information was far more important. As he says in the third paragraph of his review, “The author could well have included some views from key Mars scientists and technical experts that would have addressed his title, providing some science vision and an answer to the Why Mars question. “ By saying this, he has effectively critiqued this book and in a way gave not only the original author but also the readers of his review a simple way that the book as a whole could’ve been improved drastically. The main reason I didn’t use this source in the end was that it really wouldn’t have helped me answer