The Colonization of Space

The world as we know it could end due to catastrophic circumstances. A meteor could
hit Earth and damage the biosphere as a whole, causing ecosystems to fail. Eventually this could
lead to mass extinction. However, colonizing space can prevent this from causing the extinction
of all life on Earth. Colonizing space allows for people to permanently live on a body outside of
Earths atmosphere and become self sustaining. Although colonizing space may seem unrealistic
and expensive, there are benefits and possible solutions to the obstacles of colonizing space.
Reasons to go to space: Economics
To begin, there are multiple economic benefits of going to space. The expenses of
colonizing space can be reduced by advertising tourism and generating revenue. Rutan, an
aerospace engineer and the creator of SpaceShipOne, claimed in 2004 that Within five years,
3,000 tourists will have been to space. Within fifteen years, suborbital tourism will be affordable
and 50,000 people will have flown. Within fifteen years the first, expensive orbital tourist flights
will have happened. Within 25 years orbital tourism will be affordable (qtd. in Space
Settlement basics). This illustrates that in 25 years from now people can be flying into space
and tourism will cause the space industry to profit. This can lead to further developments in
space travel, and paves the way for transportation to a Space colony for tourists to visit.
Additionally, because a space colony will be located outside of the Earths atmosphere, it
will allow for a greater amount of solar energy to be produced to support further development in
the space industry. This solar energy could be generated and exported to Earth for a revenue. Al
Globus, a NASA employee and chairmen in the National Space Society, states that the
International Space Station generates approximately eighty kilowatts of energy . Also, Globus
described building a large satellite containing large amounts of solar arrays can produce a large

amount of energy . Furthermore, Globus commented that if transportation to orbit is

inexpensive, then producing energy via Space can lead to a profitable business and greatly
reduces pollution on Earth (Globus). This illustrates a situation in which going to space will be
greatly profitable. This also prepares the Space Industry to move into more expensive and larger
projects, such as Space Colonization. This conveys that although Space Colonization may seem
unrealistic, it can be achieved through little steps over a long period of time and there are
sufficient reasons to go to space.
In addition, there are significant amounts of metals in asteroids. If mined, these metals
can produce a large revenue for the Space Industry. According to John Lewis, a retired professor
of planetary sciences, there are $20 trillion worth of metals on 3554 Amun, a nearby asteroid
(qtd. on Space Settlement Basics). This reveals that there are more than enough resources on
nearby asteroids that can fund going to space. All people have to do is go to space and mine
them to gain a large amount of metals. Once space transportation and solar power become
readily available, so will the metals found on asteroids, and therefore make space travel more
economical, and fund space colonies. These economic factors exhibit that there is a realistic way
of colonizing space.

Reasons to go to space: Scientific Discovery

Furthermore, there are a few scientific discoveries made by exploring
space. Technologies can be developed and created because of the need to produce different
objects to explore space and maintain space vehicles. Exploring an alien environment forces
people to think outside the box and create technologies that could be beneficial to people on
Earth. According to Brinson, a NASA reporter, NASA has created many things that have
contributed to the development of multiple medical breakthroughs. For example, NASA

developed the digital image processing to enhance pictures of the moon that contributed to the
creation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and CT and CAT scans. Besides that, using the
fuel pump as a guide, NASA engineers have also worked with a doctor to develop an artificial
heart pump (Brinson). This reveals that going to space can lead to medical technology that can
benefit people. This is another benefit of attempting to colonize space.
Equally important, possibility of finding extraterrestrial life can also be a benefit of
expanding to space. If an alien species is found, then it may have unique characteristics that
could be helpful and lead to developments in space. Also, the idea of finding extraterrestrial life
can be a way to motivate people to explore and move to space. Richard Dawkins, an ethologist
and evolutionary biologist, stated that, the urge to know more about the universe seems to me
irresistible, (Goodreads). This shows another motivation to expand to space. By colonizing
space, humanity can search for extraterrestrial life more quickly and efficiently. The above
reasons show that there are also scientific reasons to go to space.

Reasons to go to space: Survival

Also, going to space can preserve the survival of life. Currently, Earth is the only known
planet that can support life. If we lose Earth due to catastrophic Earthen events, such as volcanic
eruptions, a meteor hits Earth, or Earth simply becomes inhospitable, then we have no where else
to go. As the old saying goes, Dont put all your eggs in one basket. Although the idea of
Earth becoming inhospitable may seem remote, Globus states that it is inevitable due to the
lifespan of the sun. He states that space colonization is a way to maintain life outside of the Earth
in case of a disaster causes Earth to become uninhabitable (Globus). This shows an extremely
important reason to colonize space. It allows for humanity to have a fresh start and expand to

new and unexplored frontiers. This allows for the survival of life as we know it in case of events
that damage Earth.
Moreover, colonizing space can end wars. If we create multiple self sustaining colonies
that have their own governments and can expand as much as they need to, war can be
ended. According to Globus, many wars have been fought or started over land, some of which
included the Germans and Japanese. On Earth, all the usable land has been used, but in space,
there is practically infinitely more room to expand. This can lead to the end of some war over
land (Globus). This illustrates that colonizing space can cause the end of some war and allow
countries to expand as much as they need by supplying land to countries. If self sustaining
colonies can expand as much as needed, there is no need for war over land expansion, saving
lives of soldiers and the limited resources of Earth. The above reasons show that colonizing
space can lead to the survival of innumerable soldiers.
In summary, colonizing space is possible and a great idea. Although colonizing space
seems impractical and infeasible, there are advantages and ways to resolve the difficulties of
colonizing space. Even though colonizing space may seem unrealistic, flight was unrealistic one
hundred years ago, so the idea of colonizing space may become common in the
future. Ironically, the future of the planet may be off the planets surface: space.

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