Space exploration both demonstrates the absolute wonder and strangeness of the universe that lies beyond our pale blue dot, instilling curiosity and wonder into those who learn about it, and asks some of the deepest questions of humanity. However, voicing the opinion of many in America, economist Micheal Lind views the space program as impractical and frivolous, because “our ancestors did not come ashore hundreds of millions of years ago because they decided to boldly go where no fish had gone before” (Lind).

While organizations such as NASA argue that “in an ideal world, only one argument is necessary...that argument is exploration” simply for exploration's sake, and that our basic and primary urge to expand into space demonstrates our “self-preservation as a creative, as opposed to a stagnant, society,” exploration for exploration's sake does not justify continued NASA funding if it does not directly benefit humanity. Lungfish ventured ashore because of an evolutionary advantage, the Chinese Star-Fleet ventured forth to expand their empire; what, then, will be the tangible benefits of establishing a “Starfleet” out of science fiction? While very few ventures match the nobility of seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge, continued funding for space programs can produce far more benefits for our country and for the globe.

For every 1 dollar spent on the Apollo space mission, 14 came back into the US Economy, “paying for itself in inspiration, engineering, achievement” (Cox). Despite statistics showing the benefit of NASA missions on the US Economy, many insist the government could more wisely spend that money elsewhere; even President Eisenhower expressed that "every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed” (Lind). This objection crumbles under not only the input of NASA back into our economy, but because of the tiny portion of the US economy dedicated to NASA in the first place and the fact that those saved funds would not help to feed the homeless: no matter if the US government spends 0.5% of their budget on NASA or not, the homeless, the cold, and the hungry would not see those billions of dollars in any way. This argument fails, because “to pretend that it's the fault of the space program that people are still starving in Africa is disingenuous at best. We can, and should, do both” (Levinger). If anything, the further progress of science and technology through a space program may be our biggest hope at curing our human problems here on Earth.

NASA and other programs involved in space exploration invent new technologies that benefit life here on Earth, such as infrared thermometers, light emitting diodes (LEDs), artificial limbs, and Ventricular assist devices. The study of the stars has produced an understanding of elements such as helium that emit specific frequencies of light, which directly led to the formation of quantum theory and our knowledge of the structure of the atom. Without these postulates, we would not be able to create silicon chips, transistors, and most forms of electronics—the basis of our economy and modern lifestyle (Cox). While astronomers find beauty and wonder in the stars, engineers find intrigue and fascination with the implications of those discoveries, and the whole of society benefits.

“The exploration of space will inevitably provide a wealth of practical benefit” as shown by the impact on our economy and everyday life, “but the history of science suggests that the most important of these will be unexpected--benefits we are today not wise enough to anticipate” (Sagan). Whether those benefits come as unforeseen technological advancements here on Earth, or something involving our future in space, we cannot know if we do not keep exploring.

We cannot inhabit Earth forever. Whether we slowly suffocate our planet with greenhouse gases, bomb every ounce of life from its surface, or get demolished by an asteroid, we will have to leave; even if none of these happen, our lease is up in about five billion years when our sun will run out of Hydrogen. We better have a backup plan, and we might as well start now. Presently, human survival beyond Earth—in mass proportions—seems highly unlikely, where our most hospitable neighbor lacks an atmosphere and water. Establishing space colonies, however, provides more than just a place of refuge when the Earth becomes uninhabitable: while they may not provide a practical emergency exit if something terrible happens on Earth, they are a way for us to protect out knowledge and culture, as well as our DNA, from the threat of extinction in a world growing less secure each day. Perhaps today hoping aboard a ship and colonizing other planets remains outside our grasp, and would not provide the sanctuary needed if an asteroid were to blight the Earth; however, we will never be able to get off of our planet—and there will come a day when we must—without capitalizing on the desire to establish space colonies today.

Perhaps even greater than the need to expand for the sake of protecting our humanity from extinction, we must expand for the sake of progressing our humanity beyond what can evolve here on earth. Although the creation of a Warp Drive in order to go meet the Vulcans exists only in Gene Roddenberry's utopian future, perhaps we must consider the arguments presented by science fiction more seriously. Through the development of new technologies, the wonder and fascination of the universe, and the continued drive to explore the far regions of space, human kind can discover more than just the unknown secrets of physics: we can discover new depths to our humanity, and can use what we discover, whether that be intelligent life or not, to our advantage here on Earth. SciFi shows us what we can potentially achieve in the future, and shows us that the means to achieving it lies in the continued efforts of science. There may be no way to break the light speed barrier, there may not be any intelligent life for us to communicate with out there, and the colonization of space may never solve our problems here on Earth like science fiction suggests it will: but we will never know if we do not try.