EBK PRINCIPLES OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
EBK PRINCIPLES OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
11th Edition
ISBN: 9780135175859
Author: Munson
Publisher: VST
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Chapter 17, Problem 1ED
Summary Introduction

Summary:

The space shuttle named “Columbia” disintegrated  in 2003 over Texas when it returned to earth. Similarly the space shuttles Apollo 1 and Challenger were unsuccessful and lost all the lives of the crew. The statistics showed that 1 out of 50 malfunctioned. An aerospace manager stated that “we can be too safe and never get off the ground”.

To determine: The pros and cons of sending man into space missions on an ethical perspective.

Expert Solution & Answer
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Explanation of Solution

The pros and cons of staffed or manned space exploration from an ethical perspective are given below

ProsCons
  • If robots are used, they have to be programmed based on known parameters. Since it is a voyage into the unknown, one does not know what to expect. Therefore, manned space exploration would be more beneficial in terms of results.
  • There are considerable risks to human lives and their long term health when they embark on a space mission. Lots of lives have been lost due to mishaps in the space program.
  • Manned space exploration allows the astronauts to adapt to what they see and experience so that the experiments and exploration can be context specific.
  • Manned space flights are more expensive, since the safety features to be incorporated are many times higher compared to unmanned space flights.
  • Unlike robots, the human mind can analyze different kinds of information. Therefore manned space flights would accelerate the journey towards furthering the frontiers of knowledge regarding outer space.
  • The payloads of manned space flights increase substantially since the space vehicle has to carry food, water, air, medicines and safety features for sustaining men in space for long periods. In unmanned space vehicles, this disadvantage is not there. Higher payload means higher costs.
  • Successful manned space missions contribute greatly to awareness about space. Astronauts are treated like Rock stars. They are invited to speak in many forums regarding their experience.
  • Failure of unmanned space launches hardly get any negative press, unlike mishaps regarding manned space missions, when precious and highly skilled lives are lost.

Despite the competing demands for the money being spent on space exploration, governments should continue the space exploration programs because no price is too large for furthering our knowledge about the planet we live in and the Universe we belong to. As per one estimate, the annual expenditure on the space program is less than 2% of the global GDP. This is not too large by any standards.

In the last fifty years or so, there have been a considerable indirect fallout of the space program. Today satellites are helpful in communication, entertainment, education, weather forecasting and surveillance. Common use items such as Velcro, Tang and Teflon are believed to have come from the space program.

Solutions for critical issues such as global warming of our planet and how to deal with dwindling bio-diversity of the planet may still come from our increased knowledge about outer space, other planets in the solar system and the universe.

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