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? How do you think space exploration will change in the future?

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 plays an essential role in protecting and saving the Earth. Since every nation on the planet has to suffer the same fate, global warming, pollution or climate change, they are brought together to deal with these problems. If everyone shares achievements and conduct collaborative research, it will be faster to find the most effective and practical solutions. For this reason, ISS, the greatest space program cooperated by various countries, is a good case in point. However, the race of exploring the universe is also significant for various countries to show their national pride. This so-called program is the most obvious demonstration of the superpowers’ status, powerful voice and their leading role in the field as well, which results in the competition between these nations. It is simply because competing 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 in this competitive era. In the future, there will be many major changes with further studies about the universe. By focusing on developing advanced technologies, there will be more discoveries and inventions for the benefit of humans. We can land on other planet like Mars to solve the lack of habitat. Travel into space not only become more common with astronauts but also normal citizens, space tourism for example. Despite sharing the space such as satellites and scientific research, competition still remains. Overall, although competition between countries will stay unchanged, there will be more collaboration between them to concentrate on studying space for scientific purposes and solving problems on Earth.