Earth & Beyond [?]

Earth as we know it has been on a decline over the years that some of us humans seem not to care about. Resources are running lower, very slowly as time passes. Not to mention the air we breathe and water we drink is becoming unsafe as our climate changes. With these occurrences continuing to reappear, time and time again, we're left to wonder what options we'd have if our planet can longer provide for us.

Space colonization, according to Wikipedia, is the idea of permanent habitation and exploitation of natural resources from outside our planet, Earth. While the idea has been researched for quite some time, many proposals and design ideas have appeared and with that, advocates in support of the idea. The brain power behind this idea has come up with many reasons as to why and how space colonization could and/or should be possible.

As this idea has been researched, like many things, arguments for as well as against it have developed. For one thing, such a colonization has not been formed before, therefore the idea of human survival is the most relevant factor of reasoning against it. For one thing, no human being has gone before us to stay in space for a lengthy time period to thoroughly test the living conditions for reasonability. It is yet to be discovered whether or not moving to another planet could actually support human life for a great amount of time. This leaves us to wonder if making the move to space would be sensible at this time at all. Not to mention, with current events on our planet today, the issue of economic defiance is also a general objection.

On a technological basis, however, modern science has made travel to space more affordable and accessible, therefore the option in not entirely out of reach.

Obviously, in the distant future, if the need to move away from planet Earth becomes a necessity and space colonization becomes a reasonable approach, we cannot simply pick another planet and settle down. Considering planet Mars and the moon have been explored and visited by astronauts before, perhaps either of those places could be starting place for research in moving toward colonization. So far, we can say confidently that each place is safe enough for astronauts to land on and move around upon, unlike other planets that would burn a human alive in a matter of seconds.

If hundreds of years from now, planet Earth happens to run out of resources completely and can no longer possibly support human life, space colonization could be the way to go for the human race to flourish for longer. However, for the time being, space colonization is not realistic. Considering studies have not yet proven that humans can comfortably survive in space on other planets, and it would cause a tremendous economic strain to experiment with such an idea, it is best that we merely focus on the intensive care of our planet Earth so we can continue to live life as we know it.