Should humans go to space?

Rob (No)

After nearly seven decades, there is little to justify the increasing allocation of resources to space exploration. These exploits are extremely expensive, totaling hundreds of billions of dollars each year. To put things into perspective, the United Nations stated that ending world hunger would only cost only six billion dollars. It begs the question of why ethical considerations are not taken into account when allocating these resources to more important needs on Earth. 

Space exploration has also brought about competition between major world powers, increasing geopolitical tensions that could easily lead to war. Everything about humans going to space is less about a benefit for humanity and more about curiosity and the thrill for adventure. In addition, space travel poses a lot of considerable physical and psychological health risks to humans, including exposure to radiation and bone density loss, among others. The benefits of exploring, if any, barely exceed the risk involved. 

The obsession with space is comparable to a fish insistent on living on dry land because the end goal of space colonization is borderline impossible and unimaginable. Even building robot ships with the capability to rear humans from artificial incubators to be pioneer settlers on new worlds is a stretch. We cannot make complex machinery that is guaranteed to work for tens of thousands of years. Why even look for alternatives when science tells us we still have at least 250 million years left on the good Earth anyway; that's if we don't blow up our civilization first.

Luis (Yes)

In a world where technology is now part of everyday life, going to space is essentially a must. After all, this act provides invaluable opportunities for the world to reach more scientific discoveries, which allows us to properly study not only cosmic phenomena but also celestial bodies and the fundamental elements of the universe that surrounds us.

Another reason why humans should still go to space is resource exploration, considering that space offers many resources that could solve resource scarcity and even support some future space settlements. Some resources that could still be found in space include solar power, water, and minerals.

Also, such a massive operation should still be undertaken because of human survival. Establishing permanent off-world colonies might eventually serve as a safeguard for the human race, which could even guarantee our long-term survival in case there’s an existential threat to Earth or even a global catastrophe such as an environmental tragedy or a nuclear war. 

In addition, humans must go to space for planetary defense purposes. All things considered, understanding comets, asteroids, and the numerous types of celestial objects that exist in the universe can help the world to develop some strategies to protect planet Earth from potential impact events that could cause irreparable damage that could even threaten our existence. Finally, we should still go to space as there are still many things humans have yet to discover and could eventually use for their own benefits, just like it happened with medicine and flight. Space still holds many mysteries and opportunities, which is why we should still go to it.