2.1 DEEP OCEAN OR DEEP SPACE? - Space and Ocean Exploration

Transcribing this lively debate between Ronnie Jones and Johanna Flores on gave me a front-row seat to one of humanity's most pressing questions, should we prioritize exploring the cosmos as NASA does, or the depths of our ocean? These three guys talk about the wonders of the two most intriguing Sci-Fi worlds, the ocean and space. I like the idea of visiting new planets and biomas, its very interesting. In the other hand we have our very planet, it's not like I prefer living in another one, but in second thought we must prioritize taking care of Earth, our sweet home; yes, maybe there out is the possibility of a planet with enough oxygen and resources, but what if not? That doesn't matter because we have one planet to explore and take care, specifically our oceans could give us a lot of information, even we would be able to find new creatures, even the origin of the species, and, consequently, a great advance in medicine or biology.

SPACE AND OCEAN EXPLORATION (audio) 

Host: Today's guests on Discovery Now, Ronnie Jones and Johanna Flores, are here to discuss the question: Which is more important, space or ocean exploration? Ronnie?

Ronnie: I would definitely prefer to explore space rather than study the ocean. There's so much mystery beyond Earth's atmosphere. And we can learn more from research into space than most people realize. Without it we would probably never have inventions like phone cameras, ear thermometers, wireless headsets, and even clean energy technology.

Johanna: I disagree. How about the benefits of underwater research for industry, for medicine, for technology? And it's much less expensive and a lot safer than space travel. Space exploration just isn't useful enough to justify the cost.

Host: Good point. Can you justify the cost, Ronnie?

Ronnie: Of course. The earth is getting overcrowded, and it won't be long before we'll need other places to live. Solving future problems on Earth is worth any price.

Johanna: It's less important to fix future problems than to fix current ones. People depend on the ocean for jobs, food, and even breathing! Ocean plants produce about 70 percent of Earth's oxygen. Maybe we should find ways to preserve our oceans' resources instead of using them up - which is a lot easier than trying to live in space.

Ronnie: But what about life in space? On Mars, for example, there's water, and where there's water, there could be life!

Johanna: But we don't know for sure if any other planets support life. However, there's definitely life below the surface of the ocean we still know almost nothing about. We keep discovering amazing species deep under the water. Only about five to ten percent of the deep ocean has been explored. Overall, it is obvious to me that there are fewer benefits to space exploration.

Glossary:

n. atmosphere /ˈætməsfɪ(ə)(r)/ the layer of gases around the Earth.

ph. v. come across /kʌm əˈkrɒ(ɒː)s/ ph. v. to discover something or meet someone by chance.

n. exploration /ˌekspləˈreɪʃən/ the action of going around a place where you have never been in order to find out what is there.

n. investigation /ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃən/ the action of trying to discover all the facts about something.

v. launch /lɒːntʃ/ to send a spacecraft into the sky, or a ship into the water.

v. monitor /ˈmɒ(ɑː)nɪtə(r)/ to watch something carefully and record your observations.

v. observe /əbˈzɜː(r)v/ to watch someone or something carefully.

v. preserve /prɪˈzɜː(r)v/ to keep something the same or prevent it from being damaged or destroyed.

v. resources /ˈriːsɔ(ɔː)rsəs/ something that a country, person, or organization has that they can use.

n. satellite /ˈsætəlaɪt/ a piece of equipment that is sent into the space around the Earth to receive and send signals or to collect information.

n. species /ˈspiːʃiːz/ a group of plants or animals that share similar characteristics.

ph. v. use up /juːz ˈʌp/ to finish a supply of something

n. surface /ˈsɜːrfɪs/ the top or outside part of something.

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Transcription:

I would definitely prefer to explore the space rather than study the ocean because just the fact that you're going to learn more about the space, where are we located as a planet in the whole space, it's just wonderful. Just think about it. Even you can meet an alien, I don't know heheh... but taking seriously, I don't know, it's wonderful.

Just imagine the fact that you are going to see planets and I don't know, even living things, maybe there's a way to live in any planet. So I agree with Ronnie's point. And just imagine if we are no longer able to live in the planet, in this planet Earth, we should go to another place, you know.

And yes, it's a very, it could be a very discovery to us as humans, to the humanity. So there are a lot of benefits to me in my point of view. So I find less important to study the ocean than the space.

Transcribing this debate made me realize how much my own opinions about space and ocean exploration evolved as I worked. At first, I agreed with Ronnie - the mystery of space fascinated me, and his examples of space technology we use daily were convincing. But as I carefully transcribed Johanna's arguments about our oceans producing most of Earth's oxygen and supporting countless lives... The most challenging part was trying to stay neutral when speaking - I'd catch myself wanting to add my own reactions in parentheses! In the end, this transcription changed my perspective. I still love the idea of space exploration, but now I understand why ocean research might deserve more funding and attention. The process of carefully documenting this debate showed me how transcription isn't just about recording words - it's an exercise in active listening that can actually reshape your opinions.