User:Alexwbr/sandbox

The human being has perpetuated in his character the deep desire to always wants more. Perhaps it could have been the awakening of consciousness that made man cross the oceans; to look for new challenges and discoveries. With the available technology, centuries ago navigators sailed across largely unchartered areas of the globe, something which was considered insane at the time. However, it is exactly this unusual way of thinking that encouraged human expansion in the Earth. Furthermore, before these explorations had become reality, humans looked to another place: The sky. The act of contemplating the sky brought a large range of imagination and uncertainties; but also brought the intense ambition to explore it. Now, as if the navigators in the past, humans are exploring this dark and enigmatic Cosmos. However, there is a strong force against space exploration. Many organizations are against it, not only because billions of dollars are spent, but also because they claim that this money could be spent on extinguishing the poverty. Other people say that exploration of space does not bring any real evolution or improvement. Despite these general thoughts, space exploration is not only vitally important, but also is the precursor of a great variety of inventions and discoveries. Space exploration is becoming stronger from year to year, and its importance in the world and human evolution is more visible than ever.

Astronomy is a natural science that study the comets, planets, moons, solar system, stars, galaxies, and many others sorts of celestial objects in the universe. Actually, astronomy is not only studying celestial objects, but every consequence that these bodies make in what is called space-time¹. Astronomy is supported mainly by Quantum Physics, Theory of Relativity, Theory General Relativity and the most recent Theory of Everything, that are the base of absolutely all that human being knows. In other words, astronomy probably is the most advanced and challenging science, and if exist one way to answer the questions, it would be done using astronomy as a pedestal. Although, in the same way of others sciences, astronomy also has its tools to develop research, such as telescopes in Earth, satellites, space telescopes, spacecraft, and the space station. With the telescopes, for instance, astronomers can watch whatever celestial body in space and their behaviour in the cosmos. Satellites can be used for an infinity of goals, for instance telecommunication, meteorology, security, etc. Spacecraft are machines used to explore distant places, where human cannot go, for example other planets. The space station is named International Space Station (ISS), it is a spacecraft capable to support humans and is used for a large range of purposes, such as experiments in conditions that is impossible to simulate in Earth, and study the effects of long-term space flight on human body. All these tools are extremely developed. Consequently, to support them, financial resources are necessary, and a significant quantity of money was invested since the space era began.

¹ - Space-time is a mathematical model that explain a large number of physical theories. It combines space and time into a single unit, in others words, it see the time such a fourth dimension in the universe (with others three space dimensions). Without this model the development of many technologies, such as the Global Position System (GPS) and the Cancer Electromagnetic Therapy would be impossible. It is relevant the situation that money is essential for, at least, majority of population in the world. If it was untruth, probably it would not be possible to explain why people die due to thirst and hunger in the poorest countries of the planet. Furthermore, money can solve a respectable part of social problems. Why is humanity waiting to help billions of people that are suffering for basic needs? Supporting this idea is Martin Luther King Jr., a famous and respectable figure, who stated: "If our nation can spend … twenty billion dollars to put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God's children on their own two feet right here on earth" (Timisoara, 2004). Second Martin Luther King Jr. if scientists can use governmental funding to explore the space, the government could spend money to solve humanity problems here in the planet. Moreover, some social organizations are against the amount of money that is spent to support space agencies around the world. These social organizations claim for more investments in education and structure in their own countries to combat starvation and poverty, as can be mentioned the case of some of Africa’s regions. Due to the discrepancy between social and scientific goals, it can be acceptable that people support the social idea to squeeze the government sponsorship to space agencies and to defend the society against diseases, starvation, thirst and poverty.

Since the first airplane flew almost 110 ago, aviation has increased sharply. In present days humans are reaching places that until now were unimaginable to reach, for example Earth’s orbit, the Moon and other planets in the solar system. It is natural that this evolution is just possible whether research, time, and money are spent. Despite the space programs are concentrate in some countries, for instance in China, Europe, Russia and mainly United States of America (USA), it has been supported around the world. Many countries make their contribution directly or indirectly for the main space agencies around the world. The European Space Agency (ESA), for example, has important discoveries and research about outer space with other partner countries. Its budget in 2011 was about $4 billion of US dollars. In the USA, the National Space Agency (NASA), the biggest in the world, spent more than $18 billion in space program just in 2011. These two agencies have the highest budget to space exploration. These two considerable amounts if added represents almost 66% of the global budget dedicate to space sciences: $35 billion. Even though, all this money is just a tiny part of the federal budget of each country. It is less than 0.6% in USA, for instance. And in other countries the percentage of federal finances that goes to cosmologic studies is less than 0.3%. Social institutions claim more support for development in Earth, in problems experienced for people here. It means more attention to medicine, social issues, transport, as well as to avoid the depleting of planet resources. These ideas are perfectly correct, but it is a false dichotomy; is not necessary to choose between spending on space exploration and fixing problems in the Earth. Humanity has enough money to spend in both, and certainly will remain much more to invest in others sorts of research. Obviously $35 billion is plenty of money, but is nothing if compared with the amount necessary to solve whatever problem in the planet; such was written by an international member of the National Statistical Service (NSS) in Australia: The high profile of space exploration makes it appear more expensive than it actually is. The uninformed, yet caring citizen, is under the earnest impression that the money [spent in space exploration] would make a genuine difference in the fight against poverty. The real dimensions of the social needs are, in reality, out of proportion with the money spent in space - be it in the past, now or in the immediate future. (Timisoara, 2004)

If space exploration had not been started due to excuses to save money to repair the planet’s problems, almost nothing would be known about the planet itself. Furthermore, to the development concretize itself, humanity needs to know the environment surrounding them. The man exploring space is as though archaic tribe in their environment; they have to look for everything to help them to survive. Space is the Earth environment, and the men must know this place to their own security and evolution. There is a massive quantity of questions without answers, and the majority of these answers can be found using the space environment. In addition, it is possible to state without any apprehension to make mistake that the human’s adventure spirit is not just a virtue, but a necessity to keep Homo sapiens alive. Space exploration has improved human life more than thought. The discoveries, inventions and research perhaps are not completely self-evident, and do not appear in advertisements. However, the human being is submerged in a world when the most advanced technologies were developed due to the development of astronomy. Just about telecommunication it is possible to mention telephony, Global Position System (GPS), television, internet, and hundreds of others. Health was, and still being, completely changed by space exploration. Research done by space agencies is delivering a range of life-improving and life-saving equipment, such as infra-red thermometer used in hospitals. For example, from a system of Space Shuttle was developed the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) heart pump, it can pump the blood while a human heart is not working properly. The Dialysis Machine, that can remove toxins from the blood of patients with kidney diseases, came from a water purification device for astronauts (Knight & Lorie, 2009). Between uncountable others, these were developed due to the necessities that appeared in human travel to space. Not just technologies were developed, but the primordial knowledge that supported every recent discovery, such as Galileo, Isaac Newtown, Albert Einstein, and many others that had to look to the sky to prove their theories, which have changed completely human history and made possible the evolution that is present today. More revelations are coming, for example the new source of clean energy using antimatter, a new sort of particle that can exist in the cosmos. The evidence is everywhere, it is just look at them. As was possible to see until now, the astronomy is essential for evolution. The financial fund spent is becoming in technologies that save lives and knowledge that feed hope. Instead to avoid and criticise the science claiming by money, would be possible (and more suitable) avoid bad habits, such as gambling, tobacco, and alcohol. Americans, for example, waste more than $580 billion in a single year just on gambling. Moreover, in this same country is wasted $31 billion of dollars on tobacco every year. With alcohol is wasted $58 billion annually. And to top it off, each year $250 billion are spent on medical treatment of diseases related with tobacco and alcohol. Here are $919 billion dollars just to support addictions. It can require a great effort to try to comprehend how the exploration of space can be judged such a waste of money while almost one trillion of dollars are going to ruinous actions. It is more than 26 times that what is spent in the world to explore the past, and future of humans (Timisoara, 2004). To sum up, science is not the culprit of world’s issues; is the solution. As an example in the past centuries, when men cross the oceans, human being has intelligence to explore and discover, not to be insular and small-minded. Science and belief are the way to evolution and perseverance, as well as the space is the local where the answers are. Furthermore, these answers will help it when Earth’s resources become insufficient. Each dollar used to send a robot, satellite and human to space brought discoveries that tell the oldest history of universe and open doors to others ways to think. This knowledge has been used to improve life in Earth and to understand the Universe. And when the human are able to understand the Universe, they will be able to interpret the mind of God. And, in these circumstances, the present’s days will be remembered as a period when all have started, and the money was used in pro of humanity, not as an alibi for its own failures.

--Alexwbr (talk) 12:52, 20 February 2012 (UTC)