I was wondering if space travel can become a standard in the future. With spaceflight gradually becoming mainstream, there may soon come a time when the price of spaceflight will drop significantly and become affordable for the "upper middle class". If that happens, then why does the Space Program continue to be so expensive?
The Space Shuttle is a wonderful example of the money being invested in space exploration that hasn't paid off. It's not that the cost is unreasonable, it's all about the efficiency of the money spent. The money that's wasted in not doing something that you could do with your money instead of spending it on space tourism, or even on NASA. Space exploration has always been very expensive for taxpayers.
There is a question that has been asked for the last few centuries. What is the future of space travel? I think that it will gradually become mainstream. The financial burden is already shifting to private investors, which is good news for taxpayers. We are already seeing people's interest in space travel grow with the introduction of new technology that allows for multiple types of spaceflights, like sub-orbital flights. The shift towards the mainstream can certainly be considered positive.
But that's not enough, because we need to move further and establish long-term settlements outside of planet Earth since it is the only way to ensure that humanity will survive any global catastrophe. It's about diversifying the "human portfolio" across multiple planets. If we fail to achieve this, we're screwed. We've been screwed before. What will our legacy be?
Is it ethical to colonize other planets? What would the consequences be if we do? We will explore some of these in-depth questions in this article.
It is our responsibility as a species, to preserve our planet and ensure that humanity continues to exist. So, how do we go about doing this? It seems like there is a number of ways we could try to do it, depending on the planet. Mars, for example, has long been one of the possible places where humanity could start looking for a possible new home, given its proximity to Earth.
One of the missions to Mars is The Opportunity Rover, which has been on Mars for several years and provided some fascinating and interesting observations. There have been a few failures to get to the surface, but the majority of Opportunity's successes have made it to where it can be seen. The latest mission to Mars by the Perseverance Rover has also shown that we have moved on. But we still haven't managed to transport a human crew to Mars.
How long do you think it would take to establish a colony on another planet if it was even feasible? In that case, how long would it take for humanity to successfully colonize Mars? If it takes a few generations, so be it. We still need someone to make the first step.
The future of space travel is unknown, but with recent and revolutionary developments in this field and a growing interest in science and discovery, it is not unreasonable to believe that spaceflights will be a standard for the future. Much like we see celebrities today taking photos on top of mountains or in front of oceans, we will see these same celebrities standing on the surface of another planet in the future. And this might be one of the first steps.
Space travel has the potential to become an exciting new way for people to experience the world around them, and as such, space is one area where a lot of money is being invested by people and governments.
We already have the technology to do this, as well as the desire to see people on Mars one day. I would think that these aspects make space a very attractive field for more investors. Even though it might be risky and not a popular endeavor, I think a future where space will be a safe and accessible place for mankind for thousands of years is still a desirable outcome.