Should animals be allowed in space?
Most info from: https://www.space.com/33823-why-do-we-send-animals-to-space.html
I don't agree that animals should go to space because space travel is dangerous even for humans. Sputnik 2 was a suicide mission for the poor dog Laika , the satellite was not designed to come safely back to Earth. Unfortunate Laika died during her historical mission because of overheating. It is not fair to send innocent animals in space especially because there is a very high chance they will die soon after or during the space mission. It is selfish for humans to do this to animals who don't have a choice in the matter.
What do you think?
Comments (42)
26 Nov 2019
I agree with your statement, animals should not be allowed to go into space because animals can't verbally tell us when there is something wrong. Humans on the other hand can. Animals also have an easier chance of getting hurt when going into space because they may not know whats going on. They do not have the understanding of what they can and cannot do. This would cause a higher risk of the animal to die or to be seriously hurt.
Humans have the possibility to control the space ship and are able to see oncoming troubles . Where as an animal would be unable to do this. Humans also have a choice to go to space, whereas animals do not. This seems really unfair.
Animals could also cost NASA a lot because they may accidentally break something, but they do not understand that this is wrong. They could also cause humans to be attacked by them if they went to space and came back. It is really scary for a human to go up into space, so just imagine if an animal goes up but has no idea what is going on.
It will cost more money to send an animal up than a human.
Can you think of any reasons why it would be a good idea to send animals into space? Could they assist us in understanding things?
I agree because space is not any type of animals habitat and more than space we should care about our planet
I agree with you
26 Nov 2019
I think animals should be allowed to live on earth because they have their own faiths and beliefs.
Animals already live on Earth and shouldn't be able to go to space because it's too dangerous.
I agree but some animals will not survive.
Why not - could we help them survive?
26 Nov 2019
And they might not survive up on space.
26 Nov 2019
I think that there are good and bad reasons why we should send animals up to space. The bad reasons are not only does it cost a lot of money to pay for food and a suit, but you would need highly trained astronauts to be able to cope with surviving in space and looking after an animal at the same time. It is not only unfair on us as humans as we also have to give up our time to look after the animal but it is also unfair on the animal as it will most probably die. The animal will definitely not enjoy their time as they will be stuck in a rocket most of the time; they would much rather be down on Earth with its own species.
Although the good reasons are that they could help us in some way by being able to sniff out things that the human eye can't spot and that could save us many years of searching. If we do find another planet that we could live on then we would need animals for food, to be our friends for example cats and dogs and for when we are pulling heavy crates, we would need horses or other strong animals to help us. If I were to be honest then I would say that I am completely in the middle, I cannot choose!
What kind of animals could be used in space, and for what purposes?
The kind of animals that could be used in space are dogs. We could use dogs in space as they have a much better sense of smell and they can smell out the bits that are important that we can’t see or smell. This is important because is could help us find the thing which is what we have been looking for for years! Other animals that you could take to space are animals like rats as they are very intelligent and could help us a lot with experiments and trying things, we could take animals for food like chickens as they lay eggs or sheep as we could use their wool to make blankets and a jumper for when it gets cold.
26 Nov 2019
Well, firstly, humans are animals so if we didn't send animals to space then space exploration wouldn't be a thing. But I'm going to assume you mean animals other than humans. Because if you mean that, then I don't think we should as it is unfair on them as they don't know what is going on: they don't know they are currently world-famous or that they will never come back to Earth. They aren't as smart as us so they will probably think they are trapped which, to be fair, is essentially what state they are in. But also, why? Why do we need to send them to space themselves; if it is our idea then why can't we just do it? We know what will be going on in the rocket and we can be safer. We are acting like they aren't important but they are just as important as us as everyone and everything is equal, even less intellegent species. We can't just make them go to space because if they don't like it, then it is unfair to make them go there for humanity's sake. You wouldn't like someone, especially not your own species, to make all your important and unimportant decisions for you; you need to have a choice in your life. Only on some circumstances are people right to make decisions for you as you need a role in your own life because if you don't, then what is the point in living?
succinct_leaves
Would there be any good reasons to send animals into space?
Maybe because they don't know what is going on they would be less scared and would be better. The following opinion, however, I don't agree with but some people think it: we are more important than other animals so we might as well risk their lives instead of ours. It was our idea in the first place, so we should do it and if we think it is dangerous then no one should do it.
succinct_leaves
26 Nov 2019
Animal should not be in space because last time the nasa sent a dog to space back but when they return it suddenly crashed
27 Nov 2019
I agree with your statement because you said that space travel it’s dangerous for humans and also animals can’t breath in space and can not travel around the space.
27 Nov 2019
I agree with you animals shouldn't be aloud in space because they are living things and they deserve the right to live for as long as they live.
27 Nov 2019
Animals should not be allowed into space. Firstly, I think this because it would be animal cruelty and could shorten their lifespan. How do you think they feel going up there scared and alone and most likely get injured or die up there. We are using them for our research and they can't talk and have a voice so it is very cruel and horrible and unfair. This is a similar scenario in zoos and aquariums, their lifespans are shortened taken away from their families and out of their normal habitats.
In conclusion, it is very wrong as we've seen in the past where NASA has sent many animals up and millions have died and not come back which I think and i'm sure many other people think is unacceptable.
Where did you get the information about 'millions' of animals dying in space? Or was that an assumption?
28 Nov 2019
If animals could die if we send them into space, it would be unfair to because it would be cruel. If you were sent into space all alone and had no idea what was going on you wouldn’t like it. So I don’t think we should.
A straightforward reason, cheerful_significance. Under that same logic, is it wrong for us to take animals anywhere?
it depends on what animal it is because some animals need exercise and fresh air. Some animals dont need as much though but we should always keep animals in the right environment because they deserve to have a good life just as much as humans.
28 Nov 2019
lots of people think of lots of animals like ornaments more than like living things. Especially birds because they get them small cages and not enough toys. I have two budgies i got them a big cage and i always get them lots of new toys. Every day i close all the doors and let them fly around the living room.
28 Nov 2019
I think that this is great because it focuses on animals more than just humans, but i think maybe you should talk about more reasons for what causes animals to get ill ill in space.But overall i think it's great !
28 Nov 2019
l am in complete agreement with everyone on the hub and think that it is very unfair that humans were that excited to reach space that for their own safety they would risk sending an animal - like in this case poor Laika- was sent to space. Animals are not able to speak and they're are lovely, innocent animals and to end their lives in that way is not fair at all! A human is able to be shown what is going on with the heating systems and if anything went wrong how to solve it, whereas animals won't. If the animal breaks something they won't know it is wrong. In Laika's case, the heating system filed and she was cramped in a small place. I cannot imagine what she felt to be overheated and then die.
In conclusion, l think that it was unfairto send Laika and any animal into space as she did not know what was happening.
28 Nov 2019
** unfair to
29 Nov 2019
I don't think its a good idea for animals to go to space because animals should live on earth and they will die.
29 Nov 2019
No because it is not fair on the animal because it might die.
29 Nov 2019
yes because in space there is lots of creaturs we don't know about and it will be a discovery
no because they might die due to gravity and to there oxegeon
my question is what will happen if we take a sick animal to space
29 Nov 2019
I think that we should not send animals into space .This is because if we send animals into space they would most likely feel overwhelmed, scared and even lonely. This would be cruel and unfair to the animals.
04 Dec 2019
If humans are they should
04 Dec 2019
I think that we should not send animals to space because they mite get hurt and then die and it will be sad for the owners
04 Dec 2019
yes because they are human beings
04 Dec 2019
No because the animals might not like it and they could die and they might be scared and they could be lonely
Does that mean we should ban all things that make animals lonely - e.g. pets, and farming?
06 Dec 2019
I agree, blissful_reflection.
Animals will not understand what is happening and may become scared due to no knowledge of it’s surroundings. This means that it could find a gap to escape out of an area with O2 and then die. Also, having an animal inside a space capsule is pointless. The animal cannot study anything or take results, cannot guide the capsule, and cannot tell humans it’s results. This means that cameras could be a better solution. As humans have now been sent into space, alongside technology, then the idea of animals in space is now worthless. The only reason animals were sent into space in history is because people were scared to send humans into space as they did not know what laid beyond Earth.
11 Dec 2019
I think it really depends what animal your sending into space.
I don't think it would be allowed if you sent a really big animal into space like an elephant or a giraffe because how are you going to fit a big animal in a rocket, it could cause damage to the rocket and we lose our lives and how is it going to cope in space?
I do think that small animals like a dog or cat could go into space because firstly they are small animals, secondly they can be tamed and thirdly they don't cause damage to anything so its really a split decision.
Personally, I think that small animals should be allowed in space but big animals shouldn't be allowed.
12 Dec 2019
Well, firstly, humans are animals so if we didn't send animals to space then space exploration wouldn't be a thing. But I'm going to assume you mean animals other than humans. Because if you mean that, then I don't think we should as it is unfair on them as they don't know what is going on: they don't know they are currently world-famous or that they will never come back to Earth. They aren't as smart as us so they will probably think they are trapped which, to be fair, is essentially what state they are in. But also, why? Why do we need to send them to space themselves; if it is our idea then why can't we just do it? We know what will be going on in the rocket and we can be safer. We are acting like they aren't important but they are just as important as us as everyone and everything is equal, even less intellegent species. We can't just make them go to space because if they don't like it, then it is unfair to make them go there for humanity's sake. You wouldn't like someone, especially not your own species, to make all your important and unimportant decisions for you; you need to have a choice in your life. Only on some circumstances are people right to make decisions for you as you need a role in your own life because if you don't, then what is the point in living?
Should we therefore not use animals for anything at all, wonderful_independence?
Not regularly. We should only send animals to space if really urgent.
16 Dec 2019
I really like your post blissful_reflection, but next time try to make your post a bit longer and include a bit more information.
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