Some people argue that space exploration has had more to do with national pride than international effort. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Since exploration is intrinsic to human nature, any achievement in studying and conquering the space is undoubtedly the pride of a nation. Therefore, this would hardly change even in the future although there has been a tendency to more international cooperation. I am, however, quite convinced that this field will be developing significantly despite remaining competition between countries. In the globalized and peaceful era, it is the collaboration between different countries that is commonly considered to play an essential role in protecting our planet. Since every nation has to suffer the same fate, global warming, pollution or climate change, they are brought together to solve these problems. It will be faster to find the most effective solutions if everyone share achievements and conduct collaborative research For this reason, ISS, the greatest space program cooperated by various countries, is a good case in point. However, exploring the universe is also significant for various countries to show the national pride by competing. This so-called program is the most obvious demontration of the superpowers’ status, powerful voice and their leading role in the field as well, which results in the competitive race between these nations. It is simply because competition is always part of human nature which can hardly change, even in the future. The national hero of Russia, Yuri Gagarin or Neil Armstrong, the symbol of American will, are outstanding astronauts proving this value. Overall, although discoveries about space remain to be valuable in the near future with the competition between powerful countries, their cooperation is also very important in finding out down to earth solutions.