**Humans are a naturally curious species, however maybe our aim should be to fix problems on Earth before we invest more into space exploration** **Pros of Space Exploration:** - Exploration - Humans are inquisitive and want to explore, a very ‘grass could be greener’ approach. Investing in Space Travel and Exploration then seems the next logical step as we have explored most land on Earth. - The Unknown - Again, as much as some believe ignorance is bliss, finding out what it out there is something that is very exciting. A lot of children toys and books are made with space themes as we know it is something that causes awe and wonder, so why would we then not explore? - Could find things that change human history - There is also a possibility that what we may find in space could aid humanity and life on Earth. We could discover new elements or possible habitats that could be of value. The more we investigate the wonder that is space the more we can understand about our own planet. We have seen enough Armageddon-type films to know that we need to keep track on the movements of space and manage any sort of asteroid impacting Earth! Jokes aside, we can then point out when asteroids are coming past Earth so people can see and learn more for themselves. - Manned space flights - I feel like for my lifetime, since the 1990s, we have heard more people say “we will be able to send people to the moon or mars on holidays”. Even if this hope is often distant, we could have more citizens explore space, not just astronauts. **Cons of Space Exploration:** - So expensive - Space funding has had both public and private money all over the world. As much as it has provided insights, satellites and moments in history, this money could have gone to something more pressing. Space is there and has always been there, so maybe rushing into it now as we have the technology is the wrong way to go about it. It is the ‘is ought problem’. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should, and perhaps that money could have fixed more problems on Earth. - Bad for environment - With a lot of missions being unsuccessful, as well as there being many space agencies that have missions going ahead, the impact on the environment is huge. The amount of fuel, money and manufacturing that goes into going to space is massive and is harmful for the environment. The majority of the sea is unexplored, which could be a great place to discover new species and habitats instead of going into space. - People - many people have died in missions going into space that is such a waste of talent and life. There is a Netflix documentary I recommend you watch called “Challenger” and it goes into the problems that faced the challenger and why it was so shocking. I just feel this sort of intelligence could go into exploring the 90% of the ocean we don’t know about, rather than into space.

**TL;DR -- Our planet may eventually become too far gone to save, and if we don't have a backup planet, or the available tech/funds to send people to it, then our species could face extinction.** There's always the case to be made that we might not be able to fix our own planet, and we really ought to go find a viable backup planet. It might seem like an impossibility now, but if we don't throw in the towel, we'll reap great benefits. The more we invest into space travel and exploration, the less expensive it will eventually get, such as the way with all technology. For example, early computers cost [well over $200,000 USD] (https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/mainframe/mainframe_PP2025.html), making them inaccessible to the average consumer. But eventually, with continued research and development, the tech improved, the price went down, and now it is commonplace for the average consumer to own a home computer. Space flights, with continued research and development on the space crafts and tech, will eventually follow the same path -- meaning that, should a worldwide crisis come, most people will be able to evacuate to another planet, and not just the rich elite. But if we halt space exploration, this will make it so that, in the event of Armageddon, only a handful of us may evacuate and survive -- though probably not for very long, as [there might not be enough genetic variation] (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3399204/) among the survivors to make healthy offspring, and our species would eventually die out... Just some food for thought.

The challenges facing Earth—climate change, poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation—are immediate and existential for humanity. Devoting more resources, attention, and innovation to these problems is crucial to ensure a sustainable future for all life here. While space exploration is inspiring and can yield long-term benefits, it often requires enormous investment that could otherwise alleviate suffering and preserve our planet. Addressing Earth's crises lays the foundation needed before humanity can responsibly and sustainably explore beyond. 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵: 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘱-𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘱-𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘎𝘗𝘛 𝘸𝘢𝘴 "𝘮𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥" 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.