The Future of Space Travel (Essay Sample)

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Space Exploration.
1.1 Introduction
Mankind has long been fascinated by what lies beyond the sky. From the medieval scientist, for example, Galileo who used their naked eyes to study the stars to the modern scientist, for example, Kuiper, who employed high powered telescopes in their pursuit to study the heavens. Space exploration began in the 1960s as the final frontier for exploration for many of the world superpowers CITATION NAS08 \l 1033 (NASA). The space race as it was called was a competition between the American space program and the Russian space program. During this period, the two natation were involved in a heated competition with each nation trying to outdo the other in terms of technology and to be the first to launch a manmade crat into space.
Since the dawn of the space program, the world has seen an array of technology that has been retrofitted for social benefits. according to president Dwight Eisenhower, many of the inventions and technology developed by the space agency (NASA) would find their way into the mass to the benefit of all Americans. Since its founding in 1958, the national aeronautical space agency (NASA) has been at the forefront of technology and innovation that are capable of surviving the harsh condition in space CITATION NAS08 \l 1033 (NASA). Some of these technologies have tinkled down and found their way into the masses hence improving the quality of life.
Inventions at NASA are not limited to technical innovations. While some of the technology out of the space agency remains fairly technical with not clear application here on earth, some of the technology and innovations invented at NASA are applied in our everyday life CITATION Mar18 \l 1033 (Marc). For example, propulsion technology to the space crafts has limited application to the mass, while other technologies, for example, water filtration has been adapted to by the masses tot better the quality of life.
It has been almost sixty years since Neil Armstrong safely landed on the surface of the moon. Like many fields of technology, space travel has made some advances. In this paper, we aim to answer the question, what are some possible options for advancing space exploration? Space exploration is known to benefit humanity in technological, environmental, and social capacities. Therefore, it is essential to go beyond our current state of research so we may gain more knowledge.
2.1 Background.
In 1969 when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on board the Apollo 11 space shuttle landed on the moon, every adult and child in the continent of American was glued to the television or radio listening in. But space travel is an expensive affair. According to national records, the Apollo 11 mission alone cost the American government approximately three and fifty million dollars. At this stage, the price of launching a spacecraft was recurrent as the space crafts were single-use CITATION Mat20 \l 1033 (Williams). Over time, the excitement of space exploration was overcrowded by the expenditure.
The rising expenditure has led to a collaboration between the government in space exploration. The international space station, for example, was a collaboration between governments exploring space. Furthermore, the high cost of space travel has led to privatization in the industry. Today, private entities and cooperates are in the fore-front of space exploration CITATION Mat20 \l 1033 (Williams). Private companies, for example, space-x and virgin galactic have emerged as a potential replacement of the National Aeronautical Space Agency (NASA).
Unlike government agencies where all the innovation and technology can be accessed by the population as part of the public property, cooperates regard their inventions d technology as cooperate secrets that give them a competitive edge against the competition. while privatization of space exploration has sparked interest in space once more and helped fast track future invention is space travel, one might argue that, through privatization, the public has been denied access to knowledge and innovation used in space travel that can be applied to our daily lives to better the quality of life.
3.1 Literature review.
Space exploration began as a state affair. It was a rivalry between two superpowers in a competition of dominance. While the Soviet Union first explored space through Sputnik, the United States of America dwarfed this accomplishment with the moon landing in 1969. At its infancy, space exploration was financed by the federal governments of the respective states. At the peak of the space race, the National Aeronautical Space Agency (NASA) had a budget totaling over four percent (4.41%) of federal expenditure CITATION The16 \l 1033 (The Implications of the Privatizations of Space Exploration ).
However, the thrill of space exploration was overshadowed by the recurring expenditure. This led to a budget cut in space travel, research, and technological advancements for space applications. According to national records, by 1993, the federal government of American had reduced its funding to the space agency for the previous five percent to a low of one percent. While NASA spent over forty-four billion at the height of the space race, the aforementioned budget cuts have lowered its annual budget to eighteen billion. Budget cuts have led to a shutdown of various programs at NASA which include, future mission, research into space technology, among others. for example, NASA was forced to discontinue the space shuttle program that brought important cargo to the international space station in 2011 due to rising costs and a low budget CITATION Mas16 \l 1033 (Master).
To fill the gap in financing, NASA has resulted in the privatization of space travel through the commission of private companies for space exploration. Companies like SpaceX and Orbital ATK have been beneficiaries of the above privatization. The privatization of space exploration has proven beneficial to the future. Cost-effectiveness has been a major benefit in space exploration CITATION Spa00 \l 1033 (Space Farming). Where else it used to cost the federal government four billion dollars to launch a resupply shuttle to the international space station, commercialization has lowered the price of this critical mission to fifty million dollars. Hence NASA can now concentrate its