Sea and Space Exploration: Balancing Costs And Taxpayer Benefits
You wake up one morning and discover you have a knack for drawing (or any other awesome skill). Do you just stop there and go around telling people that you are an artist simply because you discovered that you can handle a pencil well? No, instead, you start practicing till you get better. You explore different types of drawings until you become an expert. The same applies to the universe. The universe is loaded with many questions and resources, waiting to be answered and utilized. Space and the deep sea, in particular, are loaded with lots of benefits and this is where exploration comes in. Just because we are on earth doesn’t mean we should focus solely on earth and neglect exploring other places. Every year, billions of dollars are invested in space exploration and deep sea research, which includes taxes from taxpayers, although this is for good reasons, the big question is that, should more money be allocated to addressing earth’s needs where the taxpayers actually live, rather than to space or deep sea research?
This morning, while researching the benefits of space exploration and deep sea research, I came across a statistic that made my mouth fall. According to Statista, in 2024, the global government for space programs hit a record of approximately 135 billion U.S dollars. I also found out that the United States contributed more than any other country. If we take a closer look at this, if the government around the world invests 135 billion U.S dollars into other areas, it will surely go a long way. For example, it will go a long way in alleviating global hunger. But does this mean that we should put a stop to space exploration or deep sea research? Definitely not, these explorations have lots of benefits.
To start with, Space exploration helps us understand the universe. As I mentioned earlier, there is more to know about things that are on earth. One of the reasons I follow Elon Musk is because he is insightful and passionate about space exploration. If we had just sat down on earth and stared at the sky, how would we have known things about the stars and other planets? Without space explorations, we would have just been staring at the night sky and calling the stars, “tiny shiny dots.” Asides knowing the origin of things, space exploration also helps in developments, especially in technology. For example, the invention of satellites as it enables global communication, weather forecasting and more.
In the same vein, deep sea exploration is also important. Earth is covered with 71 percent of water, and this means that there are many deep oceans to be explored. In my opinion, the deep seas hold more answers than space. Every now and then, researchers discover new species that are either harmful to humans or otherwise interesting to study. Another benefit of the ocean is that it helps discover medicines. Thanks to deep sea research, scientists have been able to discover drugs that help cure certain diseases.
Having established the benefits of deep sea research, the question that has caused debate is that should these explorations be stopped in favor of other “things” that will actually benefit taxpayers? As I mentioned above, a lot of money from taxpayers goes into these explorations, but do they actually benefit from it? What people do not know is that while the benefits may not be vividly evident, these explorations actually go a long way in making their lives better. Rather than putting a stop to these explorations, governments around the world should try to find balance. Initiatives that directly benefit taxpayers and those supporting space and sea explorations should both receive adequate funding. One should not suffer at the expense of the other.
Thanks for reading.
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I remember when I was a kid, I was in the school library, reading a book on the solar system. It talked about how the sun would become a red giant one day and engulf the Earth. I was maybe six or seven years old.
At that moment, I knew we had to start building a rocket ship convoy to leave the Earth. Even if we had billions of years to prepare, (if the human race on Earth would even be capable of surviving that long) - it would be an important thing to do.
I don't think we'll see evacuations from exploding stars in our lifetimes, but the fact that this will happen one day all over the universe and if human life is to continue to exist (I almost used the word flourish) - we'd need to not only evacuate to new suns, but then evacuate from them one day, too.
Research into space, the sea, the forest, the atmosphere, and everything else is certainly something that should be valued. While we might not see the result of it immediately, there's something to be said about the human race getting some sort of delayed gratification.
We're a long time dead :)
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Very good write with a balanced perspective. Thanks for enlightened me on the benefits of sea and the space. Truly I've been educated.
A huge amount of 135 billion was spent on space and deep-sea exploration, which is a record. If even half of this is used to eradicate poverty, many human lives can be saved from being destroyed due to poverty. And if half of this is used in the health sector, it can also prove beneficial for human survival. I am not saying that these projects are wrong. Exploring the depths of the ocean and going into space can be beneficial for us, but first and foremost, human survival and those basic needs are.