Ielts writing Essentials (book 2)

TOPIC NO. 27
SPACE RESEARCH OR FIGHTING DISEASES?
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Governments around the world are spending billions in support of space programs. This
money would be better spent on research in the improvement of human health.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
You should write at least 250 words.
There is an opinion that countries are spending a lot of their cash assets on space projects,
while they should rather finance medical science sufficiently. Spaceships are flying all over
the Universe and at the same time people are dying from AIDS or even flu. Is there any point
of throwing money into the outer space?
On one hand, humans really have not fought many dangerous and highly contagious diseases.
Moreover, industrialization and economical progress brought new diseases as a result of
receiving more comfortable lives. Some of these lifestyle diseases diabetes, cardiovascular
problems, etc. In addition, launching just one space shuttle into the sky requires so many
natural resources and brings so much pollution, which affects ecology a lot. That brings us
new health issues, that need additional funding, which could be withdrawn from excessive
payments for space research.
Moreover, scientists already have fund raising from commercial pharmaceutical companies.
A lot of diseases have been fought in just last 100 years and there is an increase in the life
expectancy of human beings. However, improved health and long life of human population
leads to a new problem - overpopulation. Space research can help to find a new home for
Earth's inhabitants. The last, but not the least, could be that who knows, there is a chance we
may find on other planets a panacea for all diseases.
As for me, I am not a very healthy person and nor are my parents. However, if there is a one,
very small chance, that something exciting will happen and astronauts will meet alien
civilization on other planets, I would be happy that the government a considerable amount of
money on space research. We have overcrowded our planet and there is so much of air and
sound pollution that we should search for ways of expanding our habitat.

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