Why Humanity Should Colonize Space

SPACE COLONIZATION
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Why Humanity Should Colonize Space
Since when man first landed on the moon nearly five decades ago, humanity has made remarkable progress in space exploration. When Neil Armstrong said, ‘one small step for man, a giant step for mankind,’ he referred to the breakthrough of adding space to the list of natural resources exploitable for man. Ever since many people have spent a lot of time in space and have conducted many experiments which help us understand our solar system and the universe. In the recent past, space exploration was a very expensive affair, but with the advancement and refinement of the technology, space colonization is now a feasible concept. Lately, many companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin have been trying to refine the technology to explore the space. There are varied reasons to explore space and make humanity an interstellar species.
It is possible to tap into the limitless opportunities that space has. Earth’s resources are finite, and with the ballooning human population, there is a need for humanity to look and see beyond the limitations of planet earth. Some of the resources that can be tapped into space are energy. Energy is important for humanity and the existing sources and processes of using that energy are often pollutive and unsustainable. Harnessing the energy in space and channeling it on the planet can help the world reduce its dependence on unsustainable energy resources. Solar energy is abundant in space, and therefore energy-intensive industries can be built there. Living and working in space is a feasible idea which can be realized even before the end of the century. Some people may not know how space is economically beneficial, but some companies such as SpaceX is exploring how it can help make transport from one point to another on earth easier via space CITATION Mar172 \l 1033 (Dunn, 2017). Blue origin is exploring the possibility of space tourism which they envision to undertake by April 2019 CITATION Jac17 \l 1033 (Wattles, 2017). There are also many governmental and private satellites which have aided communication around the world. Therefore, space already has an economic advantage, and the more humanity solves some of the challenges it poses such as transport and inhabitability, the more opportunities will be available, and they will revolutionize the way we live on planet earth and how we perceive the space.
Human population is increasing exponentially, and it is estimated in the next three decades our population could reach 9 billion people CITATION Uni15 \l 1033 (United Nations, 2015). Earth’s utility and exploitation are at its peak level since the start of human civilization. It is unimaginable how population increase of more than 2 billion people could be sustained on the diminishing earth’s resources. Some resources take millions of years to replenish, and the environmental harm humanity has done to the planet is unimaginable. At the current rate of exploitation, there is a need for humani...