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Andrew Tamplin

Mr. Foster

English I CP

April 4, 2017

A Future For Our Planet

The human race is closer than ever to exploring Mars. Recently discoveries show that

scientists have found ways to grow food and obtain water on the red planet. In approximately 15

years, we could have colonies established there. It’s just a matter of time until we make history.

“Mars remains the only planet in our solar system that’s enough like Earth to even

possibly sustain human life.” (Laurie Vazquez, The Week) Rovers are already on Mars gathering

data, but they are just doing prep work for the human explorers. Funds are limited for these space

programs, in fact they are very low. It is vital for the survival of mankind, to keep funding space

missions so that one day we can explore and colonize other planets.

To start with, resources on Earth will not last forever so people need to fund space

missions to explore alternative planets. For example, in the article, “Do We Consume Too

Much” author Mark Sagoff, “There is only so much food, timber, petroleum, and other material

to go around, the more we consume, the less will be available for others.” We humans consume a

lot, and keep growing in population too. It is just in a matter of time before there is have nothing

left to spare. Survival will depend on another planet’s resources. People don’t realize how

important these missions are. It is not just for the glory of exploring another planet, it is for the

information gained. Another good piece of evidence, was from the article “Why we must leave

Earth” author J. Richard Gott III, “If we remain on Earth we will surely become extinct, and

probably long before an expanding sun roasts our planet.” Mankind can not survive here forever,
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some horrific event could occur and wipe us out, or Earth will run out of materials. Either way,

that gives us a pretty good reason to fund these space missions. Finding a new planet, an

alternate planet will increase our chances of survival enormously.

Moving on, our knowledge of space is so minimal because all the current information

known has been discovered from Earth. By funding these missions, scientists will get a better

understanding about our universe. A quote from “Why the UN is launching a space mission”

author Weston Williams, says “For most countries around the world, space remains an

unexplored frontier, especially among developing states. For them, concerns on the ground

overweigh the expensive, albeit exciting, discoveries that lay beyond Earth’s atmosphere.” This

quote explains how uneducated people are about space. Everyone focuses too much on Earth, not

what’s beyond it. People need to think into the future. Exploration should be more focused on

discoveries in space, than here on Earth. Williams states, “among developing states,” meaning

that these newly founded places are only focusing on concerns down on Earth, but I think some

thought should be put into space exploration as well. In another interesting article, “The Future

of The Universe” by Fred C. Adams and Gregory Laughlin. They say, “In the past few decades

astronomers have come to realize that the universe is about 10 or 15 billion years old. Although

such a time is immensely long by human or even geological standards, the universe is still, in a

certain sense, newborn. Too little time has elapsed for many of the more interesting astronomical

possibilities to play themselves out.” It just comes to show that we are nowhere near finished

exploring our universe. We haven’t even begun to explore outside of our solar system yet!

Others may argue, that there is no point in funding these missions, we need to focus on

our own planet before even thinking about another. Others think there is no reason funding the

missions when Earth has it’s own problems that need attended to. That argument is obviously
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wrong. Sure, Earth still has some purpose, but what happens if a catastrophic event occurs? What

will happen then? A backup plan, an alternate planet is a must. What about when when Earth

runs out of resources? A solution is desperately needed for these things. These missions need to

start as soon as possible to prepare for the worst.

In conclusion, without these space missions, Earth is doomed. Resources on Earth will

not last forever. Our knowledge of space is limited, by funding these missions humans will get a

better understanding about our universe and what chance there is for survival. This a call to

action. Space exploration needs to happen quickly so that our future will be bright. Society needs

to step up and help to change the future of our world.