Are We Worth The Pros And Cons Of Space Exploration?

One of the toughest challenges in space exploration today is being able to self-sustain life beyond the earth and moon. In order to self-sustain human life out in space, a number of things need to be overcome. Despite these challenges such as being able to grow food in space, recycling water and being able to make or extract water from mars surface. Beside these challenges the biggest of them all is being able to shield ourselves from space radiation. So I argue that space exploration and advancement is necessary to further civilization in a whole. There are reason to continue pushing space exploration advancements such as setting up bases on the moon or mars. One of many potential problems is the increase in population and birth rates. As a result of an increase of population, space for living will become scarce, food and water will also become scarce. Potentially causing an extreme version of world hunger, an increase of consumption of

Since radiation is one of the most difficult challenges we face today when it comes to space exploration. The uncertainty of the differences of space radiation and radiation on earth which creates uncertainty to possible health risks. Because of differences in radiation types it makes shielding very difficult. (Durante and Cucinotta 1245) In space there are two types of space radiation, acute radiation syndrome (short term risk) and late radiation syndrome (Cancer). First, acute radiation is mainly caused from our own sun known as solar particle events (SPE), which occurs from events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Secondly, Late radiation which results in cancer, and is caused by galactic cosmic rays (GCR) , which comes from beyond our solar system from supernovas, pulsars and other dead stars emitting high radiation. (Durante and Cucinotta