One of the most controversial issues over the years is importance of space exploration in the 20th century. Some people claim that it was the greatest achievement of mankind in that period, while others argue that it was not.  In this essay I will try to look upon this issue.

To my mind, space exploration in the 20th century, of course, is a great achievement of our civilization, but not the greatest one. Firstly, to be honest, there is no practical benefit from space exploration. People live here, on Earth, not somewhere in space. Secondly, medicine discoveries of the last century helped save millions of lives. So, I guess it is really the greatest achievement of the