Starlog 7: Star Trek and Space Exploration

Check out this post if you haven’t read about the Star Trek course I’m taking yet!

Should the government resolve Earthly issues before exploring space? Or is a scientific investigation of distant worlds a fundamentally human endeavor of exploration?

Star Trek, as we all know, was about exploring new worlds and going where no one had gone before. It has shown us what possibilities might lie ahead if we continue to develop our space program and reach further and further out among the stars.

But space travel is controversial when it comes to spending government money. After all, there are people here on Earth who don’t have enough to eat or a place to sleep. I recently found out in an article about the space race that not all Americans supported it at the time, and even JFK thought of it as more of a political stunt than a true scientific need. (I can’t find the article now, but it was in Smithsonian, I believe.)

Some people still feel the same, stating that we should fix the problems we have here on Earth before we bother looking toward the stars. I don’t agree. First, it’s going to take such a long time to actually “fix” all the problems we have here to everyone’s satisfaction that we’ll never get to space. Second, there’s no telling what solutions we might find in space. We already use quite a few items that were developed for, by, or in conjunction with NASA.

Even without the physical evidence of our space exploration, it would be difficult to quantify the creative potential we have from the space program. Would Star Trek itself ever have come into existence if we hadn’t turned our sights toward the stars?

Do you think we should continue to explore space? I’d love to know!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.