Taking the "U" out of Universe
By Ava Memarzadeh, Staff Writer
As technology advances, humankind becomes more curious about what’s living outside the small bubble we call earth. Even celebrities have been sucked into the space exploration craze and have come to be involved with the expeditions. However, with this relatively new urge to venture past our planet, comes the difficult discussion of ethics and whether our mark will do more harm than good.
History repeats itself, and looking back at past decisions can show parallels to the future. Humanity’s urge to discover beyond the boundaries of what they know led to extremely harmful results in the past. With this in mind, planet exploration should not be a focus for those living on earth. A classic example would be Christopher Colombus and his expedition to the Americas that caused the mass genocide of Native Americans simply from his desire to make new discoveries.
Furthermore, the act of ignoring the various problems our world faces is unethical and harmful. The race for billionaires to get to mars first is extremely wasteful. Celebrities such as Justin Beiber and Lady Gaga have spent $250,000 just to reserve a seat in the first commercial spaceline, Virgin Galactic. Donny Seghy (’23) has a particular distaste for billionaires and their involvement in space.
“The notion that space will soon belong to the billionares is truly theft from the human race,” Seghy said.
The billions of dollars that go into these projects should be going into ones that have a direct impact on those living today and the problems that we have a moral responsibility to work towards fixing. The Earth is facing a pressing climate crisis that needs to be addressed immediately, and the influx of resources and press that go into these projects should go towards resolving this. Not only that, but millions of people in the world today live in unthinkable conditions. That should be the priority.
It’s undeniable that important research can be conducted on other planets that can ultimately change our views on earth. By traveling to space, scientists can test theories formed on our planet and possibly address lingering questions regarding the world. For instance, traveling to and studying Mars has allowed scientists to change their views on geological processes. One SAMO student is particularly interested in space and technology.
“Humans progress and advance by exploring the unknown. We would become a stagnant society if we neglected to learn more about the universe that surrounds us,” Danny Chmaytelli (’23) said.
But are these discoveries and efforts to visit other planets revolutionary, or even worth the multitudes of research and money that go into these projects?
Although many believe that space research can help combat climate change, this claim is misleading. A key benefit of space research is that it’s made way for the development of satellites which aid climate research. They can monitor the effects of climate change, warn people about natural disasters and give estimates on how long we have to fix these problems. While these are helpful tools, it does nothing to prevent the long term effects of climate change, and isn’t enough of a reason to waste resources. The amount of fossil fuels burned to make these expeditions possible is unethical. The world's heaviest operational rocket emits more carbon dioxide in a few minutes than an average car would in more than two centuries. Although many companies centered around commercial space travel are trying to make their rockets more environmentally friendly, it's impossible for it to be sustainable or ethical.
Despite the observation that the research uncovered by humans in space is informative and allows us to learn more about the world we live in, the consequences on this planet is enough to make the concept unethical and even harmful.
Art by Ella Rose