Yelton 1

Talon Yelton
Heidi Huntley
English 111-25
November 25, 2015
Space
When many politically far right-wing people think of topics like climate change, mass
extinction, global warming, aliens, or evolution, they usually tend to think that it is all just an
elaborate hoax. That our planet Earth has always been like it is now, and that science is just
simply wrong. Most of them believe that humans will find a way to be around forever, and deny
all mass extinctions that have taken place in the past simply because it goes against the words of
their Bible. As a result, they would rather put their money into Earthly ordeals, which more often
than not are for their own personal gain, rather than investing in space programs, climate change
research, and even science in general. This way of thinking and spending is a grave mistake and
we, as humans, should strive to abandon it. If not, then humanity is bound to face a mass
extinction just like prehistoric life before us did, except this time all of the blame falls on us.
(Kaplan) There are a few potential solutions that could further extend the inevitable demise of
mankind. The largest and most ideal solution is planetary relocation of humans, while another,
more present solution would be to change the way that our youth feels about education and
learning.
In an article published by John Tierney in the New York Times, he emphasizes the need
for space colonization and the positive effects that come with it. He references American
Princeton astrophysics professor J. Richard Gott III and bases his thesis on Professor Gotts

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scientifically backed calculations that humanity would survive at least 5,100 more years, but not
longer than 7.8 million years. While 7.8 million years may seem like an unbelievably huge
number, it is nothing but a speck of dust on a universal scale. Using Gotts calculations, Tierney
states that, In order to ensure our long-term survival, we need to get a colony up and running on
Mars within 46 years, (Tierney). Since Tierneys article was written in 2007, this means that we
have until 2053 to visit, to colonize, and to start a civilization on Mars. According to the
scientists at SPACE.com, with the current pace that space programs are at across the world, it is
predicted that there will not be any manned missions to Mars until the mid-2030s. This, however
will not be possible if NASAs budget stays how it is at the moment. (Kramer) Chris Carberry,
the executive director of Explore Mars Inc., describes to SPACE.com that, "In order to be able to
make it (Manned Mars mission) feasible and affordable, you need a sustainable budget. You need
a budget that is consistent, that you can predict from year to year and that doesn't get canceled in
the next administration." (Kramer) This is due to President Barack Obamas cutting NASAs budget
from $59 billion in 2012 to about $17.7 billion in 2013 (SPACE.com). With such a tight budget and
international tensions the way they are, it seems highly unlikely that progress will be made towards a
manned Mars mission anytime soon, barring any major technological discoveries.
While NASAs budget is a large boulder in the path of space exploration, there are other major
factors that contribute to this dilemma. The biggest obstacle we are facing today is just simple knowledge
of Mars and how humans can survive so far away from Earth for so long. NASAs director of the
International Space Station, Sam Scimemi noted, Mars is pretty far away. It's six orders of

magnitude further than the space station. We would need to develop new ways to live away from
the Earth and that's never been done before. Ever," (Mann). These new ways of living that
Scimemi talks about are pretty serious ones. A few examples of these obstacles range from not being able
to store enough fuel for a round trip to Mars, to not having a vehicle that is able to land on the surface of

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Mars, and also the fact that nobody truly knows the detrimental effects that the environment of Mars will
have on the visitors that land there (Mann). Another large obstacle being faced is the lack of technological
equipment and knowledge that we possess. Engineer Bobby Braun, former NASA chief technologist,
notes the need of investing more resources into finding and developing the right tools needed for a
manned Mars mission. He said, "I'll know when we're serious about sending humans to the Mars

surface when they start making significant technology investments in particular areas," (Mann).
The biggest, and most evident problem of space travel is the most obvious. We first need
to get off of the Earth. Even though we, as humans, have been into space numerous times in the
form of probes, the moon landing, and the International Space Station, a manned mission to any
other celestial body would be exponentially larger and more difficult than anything we have
encountered before. For starters, NASA aerospace engineer Bret Drake estimated that, In order
to actually assemble a Mars mission spacecraft in space, it would take 70 to 80 launches of
equipment into our orbit. Considering that the International Space Station took more than a
decade to complete, it becomes obvious that the construction of a Mars vehicle would take much
longer. (Mann)
With all of these problems, money and resources are the only solutions that are a
common denominator. Until there is more attention and awareness of what our end-game plan as
a species should be, it is likely that NASA, and any other space organization on Earth will not
receive the funding needed. If we stand by blindly and let this neglect happen, this will lead to
the decrease of interest in space travel and eventually the permanent retirement of space
exploration. While it may seem like there is nothing that us civilians can do about it, that is not
true. In order to make an immediate difference, one could donate money or resources to science
organizations dedicated to finding ways to expand outside of Earth. Another way is to vote for

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officials that support and are willing to give more funding and supplies to such organizations like
NASA and other space administrations.
There needs to be a higher awareness of the imperative need for space travel, and so far
we are far from it. Schools need to start introducing more space and science based curriculum
and ditch the mentality that kids need to simply go to school to get a good job. The children of
America and of the world need to be taught to be creative and innovative; that their worth is not
determined by the letter on their report cards or by how many homework assignments they turn
in late. America needs to step up and start striving for brilliance and greatness in our youth,
teaching them that they are each unique and that the future of their nation and of their Earth is in
their hands. There needs to be education reform in our schools where ones progress is not based
on what they put on a test, but rather how they apply it. While there is more than 5,000 years
ahead of us to colonize another planet(s), it is imperative that we start changing the way that our
society views science. Only when we realize that we are in the infancy of space exploration will
we realize that now is the most important time to step up and strive for advancement. Even
though it is unavoidable that humans will fade away into oblivion one day, that should be even
more of a motivation to expand our horizons and try to be the statistical anomaly. After all, when
extinction is inevitable, we might as well attempt to be different, right?

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Works Cited
Kaplan, Sarah. "Earth is on the brink of a sixth mass extinction, scientists say, and it's humans'
fault."Washington Post 22 June 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Nov.
2015.
Kramer, Miriam. "Manned Mission to Mars By 2030s Is Really Possible, Experts Say |
Space.com." Space.com. Purch, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Mann, Adam. "Why We Can't Send Humans to Mars Yet, and How We'll Fix That (Wired
UK)." Wired.co.uk. Cond Nast UK, 31 May 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.

SPACE.com Staff and White House Staff. "Highlights of Obamau0027s 2013 NASA Budget
Proposal | NASA & Fiscal Year 2013 Budget | ExoMars Missions & Mars Exploration |
Space.com." Space.com. Purch, 13 Feb. 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
Tierney, John. "A Survival Imperative for Space Colonization." New York Times 17 July 2007:
F1(L).Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.