Although science fiction writers make it look easy, there are still several

problems that must be overcome before space travel is as common in life as it

is in the movies. Space exploration requires humans to be able to travel long
distances through space and survive in space for long periods of time. The
demands of even beginning to explore these possibilities are testing humans'
physical, psychological and technological mettle. Pushing further into space
exploration means overcoming huge costs, technical problems, the limitations
of the human body and the contents of space itself.

1.
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Cost
One of the biggest problems with travel to space is cost. According to The
Astronomy Caf, the cost of sending anyone or anything into space was $10,000 a pound as
of 2003. While the idea of space exploration captures the imagination and intrigues both
nations and their governments, the bulk of government budgets are spent on practical items
much closer to home, such as national defense, welfare programs and housing assistance.
The high cost of space travel causes many to view it as a luxury rather than an essential
government program in need of the massive funding it requires. The Astronomy Cafe
reports that while NASA received 5 percent of America's federal budget in the 1960s, it
received only 0.7 percent in 2003.

Technical Issues
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When traveling in space, humans need to bring with them everything they
need or the means to make everything they need. This means that astronauts have limited
access to the tools and repair parts they may need if there is a problem with a spaceship or
space station. Unfortunately, problems with spaceships do occur, as evidenced by the
Challenger and other spacecraft that have met with disaster. The longer the distance
traveled, the greater the odds that something could go wrong that the astronauts may not be
able to fix.
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The Human Factor

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Traveling through space requires human beings to overcome both physical

and psychological problems. Because communication with Earth is limited during space
travel, it is easy for astronauts to feel isolated and depressed while in space. Long trips
provide limited contact with friends and family while requiring astronauts to cohabitate in
close quarters with other mission members they may not be fond of. Time spent in space
also lowers blood pressure and can lead to inadequate blood flow in the brain. Experiments
have shown that the longer a person is in space, the longer it takes to normalize her blood
pressure after her return to Earth. Space travel also causes bone and muscle loss in addition
to exposing people to potentially cancer-causing ionizing radiation found in cosmic rays.

Space Weather
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Space weather refers to changes in the sun that cause changes in the
atmosphere of space, such as solar flares and solar winds. Changes in space weather can be
a major concern for astronauts traveling in space as they can dramatically increase the levels
of radiation astronauts are exposed to. Radiation affects humans much more quickly in
space because they are not sheltered by Earth's protective magnetosphere. It is also possible
for a solar flare to be large enough to heat a planet's upper atmosphere. This causes the
atmosphere to expand and create more drag on any spaceships in orbit, causing the orbit to
decay faster and possibly knocking the craft out of orbit, sending it burning into the
atmosphere.
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