As human beings, our desire to visit space has never ceased, but our scientific advancements have so far only allowed for manned visits to the Moon. Many political factors are influencing ongoing attempts to design space tourism and future missions to Mars. The high costs and risks of spaceflight due to longevity in space and the effects of cosmic rays have been one of the many obstacles to their realization. The United States is currently unable to conduct human spaceflight after losing launch capability following the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011. The China National Space Administration and the Russian Federal Space Agency are the only two government facilities to continue sending humans into space. Should spaceflight agencies continue manned missions to space? Global problems, among many other problems, have been improved through necessary collaborations made in the name of science and the exploration of foreign territories; groundbreaking innovations have been designed to keep astronauts safe, and our environment has been damaged in the process as gases that break down ozone molecules are released into the stratosphere. I asked myself: Is it wise to continue funding NASA in the future? space travel? To answer my question, I decided to research the monetary costs of space travel. I have found that the costs for visiting alien planets are extremely high. I decided to look up a rough estimate of how much a trip to the Moon would cost for tourists and was surprised to find that it was around $100 million (Gilman). I also came across a news article about President Barack Obama signing a $17.6 billion NASA budget that will be used to focus on missions beyond Earth's orbit (Clark). From articles...... middle of paper ......9/benefits-of-space-exploration/>.Lali, Mehdi. “Analysis and design of a human spaceflight to Mars, Europa and Titan.” AIP Conference Proceedings 1208.1 (2010): 557-565. Academic research completed. Internet. February 3, 2014..National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “Summary of the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2014.” nasa.gov (2014): astro-7. Internet. February 6, 2014. Rosenthal, Elisabeth. “Doctors Trying Coral for Skeletal Repairs.” The New York Times July 2, 1991. Print.< http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/02/health/doctors-trying-coral-for-skeletal-repairs.html>."Spaceman in a Crater. " Bone. Real. Jeannot Szwarc. Fox. California. May 9, 2007. Television.