Space exploration is extremely important for a large number of reasons.
1.Long-term survival of the species
If we really do destroy the Earth somehow,or if there's a terrible disease,or if we build robots that overthrow and destroy humanity,or if there's a nuclear war and everyone on Earth is destroyed,we're not out of the game if there are more people who aren't on Earth.If survival of the species is humanity's most important goal,then getting a backup base of operations off the ground is a vital long-term step.
Plus,in a couple billion years,when the sun goes nova,we'll need to be somewhere really far away,and why not start planning now?
2.Energy
The cleanest kind of energy is solar energy straight from the sun.If we build solar panels in space that aren't right in between Earth and the Sun,we're not cutting off any sunlight to the planet and we're not taking up any real estate on the surface.If we zap the energy down to Earth,it's basically an infinite source of power.But building any sort of power plant like that on a large enough scale requires a much more advanced presence.
3.Pure Science!
Studying other planets and space itself help us further understand any number of fields,from physics to biology to chemistry.Just a few days ago,they announced the results of an experiment that could help prove a so-far unproven part of relativity.That's neat!Who knows what we could gain with enough new knowledge for science!
4.Spin-offs
Pouring money into crazy new technology makes stuff that nobody would research on its own happen faster and get to us sooner.Who knows when someone would've invented the microwave if they didn't need it for space.
5.Because We Can
Space is the next step for humanity and the final frontier.Why NOT go?It's there.Let's go see it!
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