More than 600 million people from all over the world were anxiously watching the take-off during the 1969 Apollo 11 launch. 
It’s not hard to imagine how space exploration impacted and shaped an entire generation, but is a whopping 850 million dollars really worth sending a single hammer to the moon?
Space Exploration is Vital to Humankind!
Yes, space exploration is most definitely something we need in our current society to survive.
    1) We need to inspire our youth!
We live in a society that is increasingly governed by science and technology, yet fewer and fewer youth want to go into STEM fields. In the status quo, the majority of adolescents have only social media influencers to look up to. New and ambitious space programs would excite and stimulate them into entering STEM fields, and as a result, inspire not only generations of scientists but also tons of innovations.Â
    2) We need to protect our race!
The future of our planet is being threatened by two major catastrophes; one, asteroid collisions much like the one that many 
believe caused the extinction of dinosaurs. And two climate change, which could potentially wipe out the human race.
    3) We need to continue making new innovations!
Numerous inventions that are essential to our daily life were originally created by space exploration. For example, innovations designed for space vehicles, including artificial muscle systems and robotic sensors make artificial limbs more functional, durable and comfortable. Safer highways, better water filtration systems, cell phone cameras, better baby formula, the list is endless. If we can continue to make new inventions like these through space exploration, our society will improve tenfold.
Space Exploration is a Waste of Resources!
No, we shouldn’t waste so much time, effort and money on something as redundant as space exploration.
    1) It’s bad for our environment!
We all know that space launches not only require an enormous amount of fuel but also deliver gases and particles directly into the atmosphere. In addition, burning space hardware falling back to Earth during re-entry can, again, affect the atmosphere very negatively. Added on to the already rising environmental crisis, and space exploration is just another burden for us to carry.
    2) We could use this money on better things!
The James Webb Space Telescope that NASA plans to launch in 2021 costs a total of 10 billion, while the US government contributed only 7 billion for humanitarian aid in 2018. When you take this into account, the outrageous amount of funding we use for space exploration seems absurd and could be put to much better use elsewhere.
Okay…? So are you saying it’s good or bad?
I guess what I’m trying to say is that there’s no set answer; there are pros and cons to everything, and I’m here to lay it out for you. It’s up to you now to use this information and make your own opinion.
