“The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in the cradle forever.” -Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (the father of modern rocketry) This statement is a simple one, but the implications of it are broad, beneficial, and exciting. Space exploration does many things for us. It gives us context for our own planet, by allowing us to compare it to others. Not to mention that the technology to explore can also lead to the technology to defend our home planet from an asteroid. As of now, all it takes is one of decent size and we're all dead. We are only on this one planet after all. There are simple technological reasons for space exploration as well. Some estimates say that for every dollar invested in the Apollo program, more than 20 have been returned. Computer tech, communications, rocketry, and many other fields have benefited hugely from space exploration and that's where that return on investment really comes from. Then here's possibly the biggest reason. Humans unite under causes, whether its an enemy, and disaster, or a goal. What greater cause can we have as a species than to strive to learn, to explore, to push boundaries, to see what's around the corner. This is in many ways a fundamental need of humanity, and space exploration is a fantastic manifestation of that. The universe is huge, beautiful, mysterious, and, [u]ultimately knowable.[/u] Even if the other reasons were not there, this alone should be enough for us pursue our exploration. We are still in our cradle, and just beginning to look outside of our safe little bubble. Thoughts?