Ever since humans started thinking about just what was in the sky, we have been fascinated by the possibilities. We once thought that the stars were put in the heavens by God, or were just fixed points of light to look at during the night hours. Man once thought that angels pushed the planets through the heavens, and that the sky was actually made out of glass. The motions of the sun and the moon were once thought to be caused by them rotating around Earth, instead of the Earth rotating around the sun. Today, we still look at the heavens in awe, and still strive to learn as much as possible.
Why do we have such a fascination with traveling in space? Do we want to go and learn as much as possible about the heavens, or do we want to travel to prove a point? Do we want to do it because we are just a curious species who wants to see what is out there, or do we just want to leave the Earth because we can do it, so therefore we should?
Humanity never wants to be held back, and to not be in control of our destiny is always frustrating. We made it to the moon a mere ten years after JFK urged us to go there. We haven’t yet made it to Mars, yet if we wanted too we could probably send a manned craft there in ten to twenty years.
Why though do we need to look to outer space as this expanse that needs to be explored? Well, just like when Columbus discovered America, there are some economic reasons for looking to colonize space. The moon has plenty of natural resources that we can exploit, and help us lower our dependence on energy sources from Earth. Asteroids are chock full of minerals that can be mined, and used back on Earth. Think of all the jobs that could create for people back home.
Exploring space represents hope, vision, and the quest to discover the unknown. What a thrill it must be to set foot on another world, and what a source of pride it must be for the person, the nation that the astronaut hails from, and for the world to see humanity stretching beyone its limits. We don’t know what is out there, but to be able to go and find out is something that just seems like a lot of fun to try and do.
Man wants to explore space because exploring is what we do. We want to find the answers to our questions about space. We want to know where things came from, why they are how they are, and if there is anything out there of interest. Is there life out there? Could we meet it? Can we go to the next star? What are the other planets made of, and could we live there?
We want to explore space because we won’t be satisfied until we know what is out there, and just going to see for ourselves. That is why we go on trips, and travel because we want to see for ourselves what is there, even we already have heard about it or seen it in books. The ability to go for ourselves is why we want to explore so badly, and is something that humans are just bound to do.
