James Jones
Mrs. Smith’s class
English I
10 September 2003
Advantages of Human Space Exploration
One advantage of sending humans into space is that they can improve and repair equipment that
machines cannot. For example, visits to the Hubble Space Telescope have allowed new scientific
instruments to be installed on the orbiting observatory. These upgrades have greatly increased its
productivity by allowing it to “see” things it would not have seen without them. The International Space
Station (ISS), which is far too big to assemble on the ground, is an excellent example of the amazing
facilities that can be created by human construction workers in orbit.
Another advantage of having people in space is that we can better understand human biology by
studying the effects microgravity has on the human body. Large amounts of research have already been
conducted on how space flight affects the human brain, heart, lungs, bones, muscles, and other body
parts. This helps researchers prepare for improvements to human space flight in the future when people
will go on even longer space missions beyond Earth orbit. Researchers anticipate that studies on how to
provide for emergency blood transfusions for astronauts will produce artificial blood cells that can be
used on the ground as well.
Machines are capable of doing only what they have been programmed to do. The human mind,
however, can analyze a situation and adjust plans accordingly. Although numerous unmanned space
probes had already explored the Moon, the landings of the Apollo program were able to bring back a
wealth of new scientific information, because the astronauts involved were able to explore their surround-
ings and find interesting samples. One of the astronauts on the last Moon landing, geologist Harrison
Schmitt, was able to utilize his education to find lunar samples that had never been seen. Astronauts
bring that same invaluable flexibility and ingenuity to today’s Shuttle and Space Station research.
Thus, the human presence may very well be the deciding factor in the ultimate success of the space
program as well as the driving force behind it.