By Jason Middlebrooks/ south news editor

People shouldn’t look down on private space travel. They should take advantage and use it to gain knowledge.

Many of us have looked up in the sky and wondered if there is more life out there. Much like Homer Hickham and Fry from Futurama, we view space as an escape and a land of opportunity. After all, Kennedy did include space exploration as part of his “new frontier.”

In 2014, three years after its last space shuttle mission, NASA chose Boeing and SpaceX to transport its crews to and from the International Space Station. This paved the way for NASA to focus on larger projects such as sending astronauts to Mars and private space travel to further expand its services.

Private space travel has been in the news a lot lately with SpaceX launching its spacecraft Dragon in February, delivering supplies to the International Space Station for NASA. While Dragon is currently an unmanned spacecraft, the launch is another step toward SpaceX developing a spacecraft capable of carrying crewmen. NASA hopes to eliminate its reliance on Russia to transport crewmen by 2018.

Some may see space travel as dangerous, but it is a risk worth taking. As a growing, advancing race, we should explore the new frontier and see what it has to offer.

Many of us have wondered if other beings live outside this planet. That question has only intensified over the last couple of years when NASA discovered new planets and a planetary system. Despite the planets being light-years away, it is a possibility that we could visit or even live on these planets with further advancement in technology.

When the opportunity comes, people should take advantage and experience space travel themselves. With more interest, it is possible that private space travel could be available to everyone. It could be many years in the future, but it is definitely a possibility and fun to think about.

Imagine how much knowledge we as humans could gain from this.