((((((((((((((((( Greetings everyone! I am having some issue with answering a fe
ID: 331167 • Letter: #
Question
((((((((((((((((( Greetings everyone! I am having some issue with answering a few questions, and I need someone's help. If each question is answered correctly, possitive feedback, comments, as well as points will be given.
Below is an "Ethical Dilemma" Case with its questions following. You are to throughly read the short case, then answer the questions that follows within 2-3 brief paragraphs. Please note that ONLY 2-3 short paragraphs are required. Thank you for your time and I appreciate teh effort. Cheers!
Ethical Dilemma
The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas on its 2003 return to Earth. The Challenger exploded shortly after launch in 1986. And the Apollo 1 spacecraft imploded in fire on the launch pad in 1967. In each case, the lives of all crew members were lost. The hugely complex shuttle may have looked a bit like an airplane but was very different. In reality, its overall statistical reliability is such that about 1 out of every 50 flights had a major malfunction. As one aerospace manager stated, “Of course, you can be perfectly safe and never get off the ground.”
Given the huge reliability and maintenance issues NASA faced (seals cracking in cold weather, heat shielding tiles falling off, tools left in the capsule), should astronauts have been allowed to fly? (In earlier Atlas rockets, men were inserted not out of necessity, but because test pilots and politicians thought they should be there.) What are the pros and cons of staffed space exploration from an ethical perspective? Should the U.S. spend billions of dollars to return an astronaut to the moon or send one to Mars?
Explanation / Answer
Given the issues faced in development of space shuttles and the limited reliability of these space vehicles and the high chance of loss of human lives, it is definitely not recommended to pursue this as it may lead to significant loss of human lives as well have the potential to cause wide spread destruction of national assets. Such an endeavour wherein it is known beforehand that the result could be catastrophic and if such the probability of such a catastrophic event occurring is even miniscule but not zero should not be carried out as that would mean sending men in harm’s way and sanctioning their probable death. Thus space vehicles with limited reliability should not be pursued and human missions on these vehicles should be stopped immediately.
From an ethical perspective there are no real pros of staffed space exploration apart from serving the intellectual side of spirit of human exploration. There are though many cons which are:
In fact it is not prudent to pursue a lunar mission or a mars mission from ethical perspective. The funds which are spent in these programmes can be used in other programmes such as poverty reduction, expanding healthcare facilities, irrigation in drought affected areas. So from an ethical perspective and for the greater good, the space programmes should be curtailed and money spent on these programmes should be spent on welfare schemes and technologies for upliftment of society.
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