Humanity’s Quest for Space Exploration Throughout History
Historically, there has been no better way to prove a nation’s dominance than being able to be the first to publicly show off its achievements for the whole world to watch. That is why when the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite mankind ever released into the cosmos, the US government authorized NASA in order to hastily reestablish their superiority in the great Space Race. Nations have always been in possession of a somewhat unhealthy amount of ambition but rarely do they take time to process the consequences of their endeavors.
Though the possibilities space exploration could facilitate, in both political and social aspects, are endless, it is necessary to delicately balance ambition with calculated precaution in order to ensure the most amount of success with the least amount of unanticipated tragedy. When presented with revolutionary innovations in science, brilliant minds do not hesitate to eagerly dreams. The image of being the next Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin is undeniably tantalizing to the adventurer, and even more so to the voracious government funding for his explorations. Starry-eyed dreamers optimistically envision space exploration as a vessel for spiritual awakening, opening mankind‘s eyes to the trivialities of war and inspiring younger generations to improve life on Earth.
However, one view of our planet’s vast and homogenous landscape does not immediately ensure world peace (Source G), especially considering how space exploration was founded with anti-Communist intentions by the United States. Sending politicians and world leaders into space as a way to “change their perspective” is an indirect and ineffective way to ignore hundreds of years of war, poverty, aggression, and racism. Realistically speaking, it would be financially taxing to fund space exploration for the purpose of making leaders shed tears at the sight of their own celestial insignificance.
