Summary: The Cultural Benefits Of Space Exploration

When Americans think of the term “space exploration” they typically associate it with “the race for space” and recall a time when the nation was consumed by the thought of rockets and beating the Soviet Union to the final frontier. While the period of time, coined as “The Space Race,” has since passed, space exploration continues to impact people around the world. Many Americans fail to understand that the benefits of space exploration extend far beyond the people involved with counting down the seconds until liftoff in NASA control rooms. United States space exploration has an impact on every citizen. The efforts in furthering space exploration have proven to be beneficial to American society and foreign policy.

Human beings have been fascinated
Space scientists and engineers from the past could not have begun to predict all of the ways their innovations and ideas are now used in all aspects of life, generations later. With no activity on Earth matching the unique challenges that are presented by space, space exploration has and will continue to produce societal benefits that improve that quality of life on this planet. In terms of cultural benefits, space exploration leads to a better understanding of the universe and solar system. The unique challenges offered by space exploration spark new scientific and technological knowledge for mankind. Knowledge about outer space provides people around the globe with solutions to problems and useful products and services, benefiting people in all aspects of their lives. Knowledge gained from space exploration also contributes to implementing policies for environmentally sustainable urban development, currently a hot-button issue. Job creation and economic growth also result from space exploration, because private enterprises are increasingly investing in space exploration and seeking ways to make space exploration more affordable, reliable, profitable, and sustainable. New innovations and inventions have evolved out of solutions for problems that emerged
These cultural, innovative, and global benefits have improved the quality of life on Earth, and will continue to do so until the end of human civilization, for one simple reason: people. People, such as the Greeks, Babylonians, Egyptians, Native Americans, who first contemplated the heavens. People, such as the French during Jules Verne’s time; people like the Americans, who decided that The Space Race was theirs to win. Today’s teenagers and young minds are very much ready to take America to new heights - literally. Space exploration missions and the knowledge gained from them fulfill people’s innate curiosity everyday. The amazing thing about the challenges provided by space exploration is that the discoveries will never stop - there are always new goals; space exploration will continue to offer an evolving perspective on humanity’s place in the universe. Current trends suggest that the future will see significant benefits from space exploration in areas such as new materials, health and medicine, transportation, and computer technology. American space exploration will continue to be “one small step for a man, one giant leap for