It’s the unknown that draws people - E.A Bucchianeri,” Yet people still think we shouldn’t explore other planets. It is in human nature to explore. To want to discover the unknown. In a Youtube Video about why we should go to mars, Peter Diamandis states:         

The reason humans should go to mars is because we're human, we are an exploring species and it's what made us the dominant species on this planet.

Further in the video Neil Degrasse tyson also states:

I need a good reason to cross this ocean, well because we haven't done it before, how's that for a good reason.we might learn something tomorrow that we don't know today

Because humans are an exploring species it is in our nature to explore the unknown and figure out what it has in store. So one of the reasons we should invest in exploring other planets is because it is in our nature to do so. We would have never climbed Mt.Everest if we didn't have that natural instinct to conquer the unknown. Though humans have a natural instinct to explore, there is a reason behind the mindless exploration.

    The reason for exploration is to learn something new. In space the possibilities for new things and opportunities are endless. We don't know what is out there in our galaxy and that is why we should explore it. There could be other living beings that are smarter than us and we could learn from them. In a Scientific American Article the author states:

Astronomers estimate that every star in the universe has about one planet in orbit, on average. Given that there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 billion (yes, with a “b”) stars in the Milky Way alone, the number of potential planets out there is staggering.

We have no idea what is out there and that is why we should explore. Many people think it is a waste of money and there is nothing out there but no one knows for sure because we have to do more exploration. If we do find other beings there then it could change humanity forever. The existence of an alien species could change our outlook on our place in the universe and change our view of our lives.

    When things go sideways a backup plan is needed. The earth won’t be here forever, and if we want to keep the human race alive, we need a backup plan. In order to keep world ending experiences from happening we need to explore space. To know and to be ready. In a Planetary Society Article  it states that:

All the social and environmental progress in the world won't help us if an asteroid impacts the Earth. We have to explore space to find and study the asteroids and comets in our cosmic neighborhood if we want to make sure we can defend our planet if an object ever heads our way.

It is important for us to continue to explore into space so that we can detect any future asteroids or dangers to earth, but also to possibly discover and terraform a new planet so we can leave earth and move to that planet if needed. People raise the argument that we shouldn’t have our heads in the skies but focus more on the problems on earth and if we did that we would be sitting ducks waiting for the inevitable end of the earth. To keep the human race safe and happy we have to explore and monitor space.

    As Tom Hanks once said; “A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown.” And we need to invest in more heroes.