Life on Mars, death on Earth

By Ava Bourdeau, Staff Writer

For thousands of years, humans have turned their faces to the stars and pondered what secrets were hidden beyond the familiarity of Earth. From the Bablonyan zodiac to the Ancient Greek constellations, the mysteries of space have plagued our minds throughout history. However, it wasn’t until the twentieth century that humans were finally able to break through our atmosphere into the unknown black expanse of the universe. Since then, governments around the world have poured funds into space research and travel. Sending rockets into the sky is no longer something limited to the realm of science fiction, and the notion that aliens could in fact exist is more popular than ever. 

With more information about the extraterrestrial at our fingertips, many have begun to ponder the idea of a new set of ethics to which we must adhere. Space research certainly doesn’t have a spotless history. Stories such as that of Laika, a dog saved from the streets of Moscow only to be launched to her death in the spacecraft Sputnik 2, raise the question of how much we are willing to risk to understand the unknown. With so many variables, a wealth of things could go wrong when sending animals and humans into the sky, yet researchers continue to risk so much in the name of science. 

Before we even begin to examine what sort of atrocities humans are capable of committing beyond the stratosphere, we must first consider how space travel can impact those right here on Earth. According to the World Health Organization, about 690 million people, or 8.9 percent of the world’s population, don’t have enough to eat. We are depleting our fish stocks, destroying the ozone layer and allowing children across the globe to die of malnutrition. Even in our home country, several of our largest cities suffer from dire homeless problems, and many are unable to afford necessities such as healthcare and groceries. There are solutions to these problems, but they take effort, time and of course, money-money which is currently being funneled into launching people into the stars. 

“I feel that it’s more important for the government to spend money on domestic issues that affect a lot of people in day to day life. I do think space exploration is important, just not more important,” Lucie Vaillancourt (’22) said. 

One solution to this already has the groundwork set. While space research has lately been a government-funded effort, private companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX have begun to see immense success. Such corporations allow their wealthy CEOs to collect money for their research, rather than using precious taxpayer dollars which could be put forth towards domestic improvements. Although such corporations are run by deep-pocketed businessmen who often appear out of touch with reality, it’s not hard for regular people, including high schoolers, to understand their competency. 

“I think private space companies are important because they aim to colonize other planets and decrease the price of space travel,” Lauren Derby (’22) said. 

Many see space travel as necessary. Our planet is suffering, and people have begun turning to space as an escape from potential catastrophe. It is indeed unfortunate to see people give up hope. While the climate is undeniably in trouble, we are still capable of slowing our hurtle towards destruction. But once again, such a task demands funding. Rather than shelling copious amounts of cash on rockets, money can be spent to help save our dying planet. From finding more sustainable energy alternatives to improving agricultural methods, there are many things we can put money into that aren’t space—things that will help us make real progress towards helping the environment. 

Space exploration is indeed an incredibly interesting field, and it is undeniably gaining prevalence with every advancement it makes. Nevertheless, it should not be our primary focus. As it stands, the world is filled to the brim with problems. Instead of looking for life on Mars, we should try and save what’s here on Earth. Maybe it’s time to turn our eyes away from the stars and look at all of the suffering happening around us.