Is spending money on Space Travel Extravagant?

The exploration into space was initially performed only by countries with wealth and power, but the billionaires changed the trend, many multi-billion companies took the trend in hand as a status symbol to have their name in space, these new space players began to challenge the government-created monopoly. When it comes to prioritizing space programs, private entities and the government have opposing viewpoints. Different aspects of space programs are prioritized by the government that is in the public interest, such as Earth sciences and national security, whereas wealthy individuals who enter the space sector are interested in personal and financial ventures involving space exploration, such as Elon Musk's plan to make life multi-planetary and Richard Branson's and Dennis Tito's space tourism.

Let's be honest: space exploration isn't cheap! Even a single robotic expedition to space costs millions of dollars, and sending astronauts into orbit takes billions of dollars. If you want to send explorers to even the closest celestial bodies, the expenditures are likely to be extremely expensive. However, there are numerous advantages to exploring space.

Below are some ideas to share when stepping up into space.

 Many countries invest as a balanced part of their entire government budget in space science and exploration as a balanced part of their total federal budget. People believe NASA consumes up to a quarter of the US government budget, whereas NASA's budget is only approximately 0.5% of the total federal budget, and the proportion is significantly smaller for other spacefaring nations, according to the public opinion.

In recent decades, wealthy people's investments have boosted private markets and cleared the path for one of the many new businesses to enter the industry. An explosion of proposed satellite constellations and small launch vehicle concepts as a result of new players joining the commercial space industry and because of which access to space became cheaper.

If one is claiming that public funding should be used to solve global problems, one should be aware that money spent on NASA benefits the economy. Spending on space keeps highly skilled jobs alive, fosters scientific advancements with real-world applications, and creates economic opportunities. As a result, the pool of public funds available to address the world's most critical issues expands.

The Department of Space (DoS) has been given Rs 13,949.09 crore in the Indian Budget 2021-22, with Rs 8,228 crore intended for capital expenditure and Rs 700 crore designated for the New Space India Limited (NSIL), a newly constituted public sector organization within the Department of Space. This is almost Rs 900 crore more than the budget for the fiscal year 2019-20, and Rs 4,449 crore more than the budget for the fiscal year 2020-21. The Department of State was allocated Rs 13,479.47 crore in the previous budget, but this was eventually reduced to Rs 9,500 crore. The Department of Space has been given Rs 13,017.61 crore for the fiscal year 2019-20.

 

People create discoveries that can aid the world in various ways when they face the challenges of space travel. Food growth research in space or on Mars provides insights into food development under harsh conditions on Earth and helps to prevent climate change's effects. Medical research onboard to the International Space Station enables us to get a better understanding of the human body, save lives, and improve quality of life.

A fleet of satellites that orbit the Earth, in particular, send information to satellite navigation systems, broadcast television programs, and monitor weather, is part of a global space network. These are everyday services that we take for granted and are considered as "space exploration."

Further, what if an asteroid strikes the Earth? Social and environmental progress won't help us. We need to explore space, find and study celestial bodies, asteroids and comets to defend our planet from other objects that head our way. It is undeniable that many important human problems need to be resolved. However, addressing these issues does not mean that we must stop investigating, researching, or discovering.

Human civilization has amazing abilities and can do multiple important things at once. If someone thinks a particular topic needs more attention and investment, they can and should advocate it. The problems we face are not limited to space exploration and spending some money on exploration. Talking about civilization, we have already overused Planet Earth which in turn is a necessity to look out for a newer environment to prepare for a new life. We could see crises in water, temperature, air, land, and everything that is beneficial for humans. Every month brings a new set of issues or damage caused by nature; we can’t blame humans alone for the damage but it is the phase of nature to bring that to the table. From the establishment of NASA, space exploration was done to earn fame for the nation, but that will not be a reason anymore, it has turned out to be a must-needed one to find a home in space.

Space exploration isn't cheap, but on the other hand, it is definitely not a waste of money to invest.

The Benefits and Hazards of Genetically Modified Children

Before dwelling on this topic let us understand what is genetically modified children. Although the term is quite self-explanatory, genetically modified children are also known as Designer babies, which are those whose genetic makeup has been selected or altered, often to include a particular gene or to remove genes associated with a health condition. This process usually involves analyzing a wide range of human embryos to identify genes associated with particular diseases and characteristics, and selecting embryos that have the desired genetic makeup. And although you might be introduced to this topic as you are reading this blog, the first designer baby was born to the Nash family from Denver, Colorado, 20 years ago. but the news is still a miracle to many. Adam Nash was conceived for his stem cells from the umbilical cord, which was later used for the life-saving treatment for his sister suffering from Fanconi's Anaemia.

 

Now that we know what genetically modified babies or designer babies are while writing this article we were put in a conundrum of whether to explain this topic keeping the benefits side heavy or the hazards of the technology in mind.

Even though there are significant ethical and moral concerns regarding genetically modifying babies, there are numerous benefits to this form of treatment like:-

 

1.     It will contribute to an increase in life expectancy -The infant will grow up healthier if the defective genes in an unborn baby are edited out and only the healthy genes are kept. As a result, you may be able to extend their lifespan by up to 30 years.

 

2.     Making a lifestyle change earlier - By introducing diverse factors to the child's thinking and life, you may be able to impact it. Rather than influencing a child later in life, creating a baby may enable you to produce comparable types of influences even before the infant is born. You can, for example, increase your baby's mental capacities before he or she is born, rather than pressuring him or her to study hard and do well in school.

 

 

3. It lowers the risk of genetic abnormalities - When you employ genetic modification technology to create a designer baby, you can help to lessen the risk of your child developing numerous genetic illnesses. In many cases, these are not just a strategy to lower your baby's risk of developing certain health problems, but they are also a way to improve your baby's odds of surviving

4. Parents have the last say - As a parent, you have the power to decide what aspects of your child's life you wish to improve. You will be able to set all the boundaries and keep track of all of the alterations your baby will through, as well as how much of the same you want to be done.

 

But we also found three major issues with Designer babies which were very alarming as they had to do with deciding the course of a life that hasn’t been born yet and could not be taken lightly which were:-

 

1. Not without flaws

The technique of genetic alteration to generate designer babies is still in its early stages of development, and it will take time and research to advance. Because genetics isn't always 100 per cent accurate, it's extremely conceivable that in the case of designer babies, an error will arise at some point in the future. Researchers are concerned that while they will do everything possible to eliminate any illness in the infant while editing the genes, an unintentional error could result in the emergence of a new type of ailment that they will not be able to treat Depending on their motives for having the kid in the first place, the parents have even gone ahead and terminated the baby in some situations.

2. Infringement on Your Baby's Rights

When you start the process of making a designer baby, you are effectively changing the life and mentality of a living human being without their permission or consent. In this situation, you will permanently alter your baby's mental, emotional, and physical makeup, without giving your newborn a choice in whether or not this is something he or she wants. It is a procedure in which your baby will be treated as a scientific experiment rather than as a human being.

3. Has the potential to create a significant societal divide.

If more parents opt for designer babies, the world will soon be separated into two categories of babies: designer babies and non-designer babies. As a result, newborns born as part of the designer baby series will feel superior to those born naturally without any genetic alteration. Those who adhere to societal norms fear that it will eventually lead to a hostile atmosphere.