What are the CONS of space exploration/travel?

Question

I know there's so many pros but I can't think of any cons except the cost. Anybody know any others?

No, I meant space exploration in general. Of any kind. Not just limited to human space travel. Like studying stars and going to planets to research and stuff and landing on the moon.

Answer 1

Cost is only the most obvious drawback to space exploration. There are others that may be even more important.

1. Rocketry, precise navigation and control, automation and the supporting materials and logistics developed to support space exploration are of immense military value. Thus they all participate in threatening human beings with war, extortion, and oppression.

2. The space race was brought about as a means to deliver nuclear weapons to any target on the globe. Putting men on the moon was little more than a public relations spin by romanticizing exploration, and downplaying the military aspect.

3. It is a distraction from the very real problems on earth, which might be solved were it not for money and public attention being focused elsewhere - in space.

4. The space race was elitist in nature, demanding the very best and brightest to compete for glory, thus denying it to those with less talent in technical areas. The resentment it generated emerged as anti-intellectualism and anti-nerd / anti-geek mentality which probably afflicts our (U.S.) schools and society even today. It is possible that the demand for competition and excellence resulted in an actual dumbing down of American society.

5. It politicized big science. Previously, most of science was either affordable, or was conducted in the halls of academia. The space race threw tons of money at the problem, forcing the infrastructure for research and development to leap out of the (price) range of individual investigators and universities. Big science is now at the fiscal mercy of politicians and corporations, who demand return on their investment (political or profitable technology), and do so at the expense of pure research and broader understandings of nature.

One should easily be able to greatly expand this list. So I shall leave room for the observations of others.

Answer 2

We have the will but are limited by the current state of our technology. A manned trip to Mars is still beyond the current abilities. The logistics alone for a three year trip to the red planet are staggering. If we could find water there that might change the whole picture. Water can be consumed and turned into rocket fuel or used to make oxygen to breath. By trying to live "off planet" by trying to establish a base on the Moon first is the way NASA is planning for any future manned trip further out from Earth.
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Answer 3

The nearest galaxy to us is 2 million light years away. Even at the speed of light ( now impossible ) it would take a space craft 2 million years to get there. Mercury is a bare rock.Venus is 900' F. Mars, maybe. We can't land on Jupiter, Saturn,Uranus, or Neptune. We can land on some of their moons though. I'd say we're probably kidding ourselves.Mars is 6-9 months away. Which means you need to take over a years supply of food and water with you. I can't see it happening.

Answer 4

1. Danger to the humans who are travelling.
2. The possibility of new diseases that could be picked up from microbes on other planets/moons. (this is unlikely, but possible)
3. Space-based weapons.

Answer 5

The biggest problem often cited are that the humans, us, cannot survive the vacuum of space, require massive amounts of oxygen which is flammable, operate poorly in zero gravity and the one I think is funny always want to return to Earth.

Answer 6

Well, there is the waste of it all, a space shuttle uses 1621500 lb of fuel, a space shuttle needs a large lanch site, it also uses a lot of technology which some people say is pointless.

Answer 7

Bone loss, muscle loss, Solar radiation, micro meteors, Gamma radiation, loneliness (just a round trip to Mars will be about a year), cabin fever, accurate navigation & being able to soft land accurately (which we don't have yet) and generally staying alive.

Answer 8

Everthing is to far away, Only the moon , mars, or venus is within reasonable travel time distance. Of course it is very risky to human life.

Answer 9

Hi. With humans? The constant danger.

Answer 10

There has not been much knowledge gained with recent space exploration.