Space exploration costs tax payers an exorbitant amount of money each year. What are the advantages and disadvantages of spending money on space exploration?

Humans have explored outer

space

for several decades in search of new discoveries. While spending governmental money on exploring

space

brings advantages, there are some downsides to

this

as well. Undoubtedly, the investment in

research

on other planets is beneficial to

society

in a number of ways. One evident benefit is that it leads to the development of other fields of

research

in terms of equipment.

Space

exploration is closely connected to other areas in science

such

as biology, chemistry and physics, which means that the technology and knowledge in

this

area are transferrable to other scientific fields.

For instance

, observational devices developed for studying planetary bodies could give a deep insight into the development of new medical equipment.

Furthermore

,

space

research

could provide solutions to some issues which present-day

society

is facing. Overpopulation,

for example

, is a common problem around the world that could be solved by discovering and creating a habitable environment on other planets.

On the other hand

, some drawbacks can be seen in allocating budgets to

space

expeditions. One of them is that other aspects of

society

would be short in funding.

For instance

, education and healthcare are vital to ensure each citizen’s high living standard. If the

government

places more emphasis on

space

rather than on these areas, the quality of life of individuals would decline

as a result

. Another disadvantage of spending

government

expenditure on exploration outside the earth is the high risk of accidents and catastrophes. In the history of sending spacecraft and satellites into outer

space

, a number of accidents have occurred, causing them to be destroyed and even incurring some casualties. For

this

reason, supporting

space

exploration is a high-risk investment. In conclusion, funding

space

expeditions can be advantageous to

society

for

further

technological advances.

However

, it could result in the

government

neglecting other areas of

society

and in serious disasters. The

government

should ensure that citizens reap the benefits of

research

and progress in

this

area.