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The process of knowing the unknowns is literally rocket science. We are talking about space exploration here. Humans started exploring beyond the Earth’s atmosphere in 1961 when the Soviet Union sent the first person to travel into space.

Since then, countries globally have launched numerous space missions, playing a significant role in driving innovations, understanding the environment and improving economic development, all of which ultimately benefit humanity.

Now, let’s dive into the meaning of space exploration, alternatively known as space travel, cosmic exploration, or space research.

In simple terms, space exploration is the scientific study of outer space. Using advancing space technology such as telescopes, satellites, spaceships, and robots, a manned or unmanned space mission is conducted to discover and investigate the known and unknowns about cosmic bodies.  

As you have gained clarity into the meaning of space exploration, let’s now understand why exploring space is important and how it started.

The ultimate importance of space exploration lies in the survival of living beings and planet Earth. 

Space exploration helps us understand what exists beyond our planet’s atmosphere, gain knowledge about the solar system, push the boundaries of scientific research, discover new resources and invent advanced technologies for the improvement of our daily lives. 

A constant study of space also helps detect potential extraterrestrial threats and develop ways to prevent or deflect them.

Space exploration began in the 1950s, during the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union competed to develop rockets that could carry nuclear weapons. The same rockets could also launch artificial satellites into orbit around Earth, which marked the beginning of the space race.

The first artificial satellite was Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, which sent out radio signals that could be heard around the world. Sputnik 2 followed, carrying the first living being in space, a dog named Laika.

The space race climaxed with the U.S. achieving the first manned Moon landing in 1969, marking the Apollo 11 mission led by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Post-moon exploration included space stations (Salyut, Mir, Skylab), the space shuttle, and joint missions like Apollo-Soyuz and Shuttle-Mir. 

The International Space Station (ISS), a multinational effort, began in 1998, serving as a continuous habitat for scientific experiments. Beyond human spaceflight, unmanned probes explored the solar system, with notable missions like Voyager, Cassini-Huygens, and Curiosity on Mars.  

Space Exploration can be categorised into six types that include: 

• Manned Exploration: This space exploration is conducted through spaceflight, which is operated by a trained human crew of astronauts, cosmonauts, and taikonauts.
• Unmanned or Robotic Exploration: This type of space exploration is carried out by uncrewed robotic space probes using artificial intelligence and robotics.
• Interplanetary Exploration: This type of exploration is confined within the solar system. This means exploration can be conducted on other planets or celestial bodies only in the solar system, such as Mars, Venus, or the Moon. The aim is to explore the planets and the intermediate zones between planetary bodies.
• Flyby Exploration: Flyby exploration involves passing by a planet or another body without entering its orbit or landing on its surface, such as the Voyager or the New Horizons missions. Flyby spacecraft were used in the initial solar system exploration phases.
• Exploration using Orbiter Spacecraft: Space exploration that involves launching spacecraft into the orbit of a planet or another body and studying it from a distance, such as the Hubble Space Telescope or the International Space Station.
• Exploration using Observatory Spacecraft: Observatory spacecraft observe distant things from the Earth's orbit or a solar orbit without being obscured or blurred by Earth’s atmosphere.

According to NASA, space exploration delivers direct and indirect benefits.

Direct Benefits of Space Exploration

• Enhanced Knowledge: Exploration of space contributes to expanding our understanding of the cosmos, providing valuable insights into celestial bodies, fundamental physics, and the origins of the universe. 
• Diffusion of Innovation and Expanding Markets: Traveling to space often leads to developing new technologies that find applications beyond space missions, fostering innovation and creating new markets. 
• Inspire the New Generation: Space exploration motivates the new generation globally, encouraging interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and inspiring the pursuit of knowledge and excellence.
• Agreements Forged Between Countries: Collaborative space missions necessitate international cooperation, fostering diplomatic relationships and agreements between countries engaged in exploration.
• Improved National Technical Competence: Nations investing in space exploration enhance their technical capabilities, advancing domestic expertise in areas such as aerospace engineering, robotics, and materials science.

Indirect Benefits of Space Exploration

• Economic Prosperity: Investments in space exploration can stimulate economic growth by creating jobs, driving technological advancements, and promoting a space industry that contributes to a nation's economic prosperity.
• Health Benefits: Technologies developed for space missions often have spin-off applications in healthcare, leading to advancements in medical devices.
• Environmental Benefits: Space exploration technologies can be adapted to monitor and address environmental issues on Earth, such as climate change, deforestation, and natural disasters.
• Safety and Security: By enhancing communication and surveillance capabilities, space-based technologies contribute to global security.
• Enhanced Understanding of Humankind’s Place in the Universe: Exploring space provides a broader perspective on the interconnectedness of Earth and humanity within the vastness of the universe.

Space exploration benefits and drawbacks come hand in hand. Here’s how exploring the space can be disadvantageous:

• Space Radiation: Space exploration exposes humans and other living organisms to high levels of radiation, which can cause serious health problems, such as cancer, genetic mutations, and organ damage.
• High Cost of Resources: A space exploration program requires a huge amount of money, which critics argue could be used for other purposes, such as addressing the immediate social, economic, and environmental challenges on Earth.
• Risk to the Life of the Astronauts: Exposure to dangerous space radiation, isolation, and confinement in a small space, living in the space station for a long period of time and uncertainty of return are some risks involved that are direct threats to the astronauts’ lives.
• Environmental Concerns: The rockets and spacecraft launch release harmful chemicals and pollutants into the Earth’s atmosphere, which is dangerous for the environment.