Some positives of space exploration is new inventions can be created by space exploration such as when Charles Yost created a special type of plastic foam that had the seemingly miraculous ability to deform and absorb tremendous pressure, then return to its original shape. When NASA scientists Jacqueline Quinn and Kathleen Brooks Loftin invented a solution that helps break down trike into nontoxic byproducts with no harm to the environment; they won both the agency's commercial and government invention of the year in 2005. The thick solution, called emulsified zero-valent iron, can be injected into groundwater, where it neutralizes toxic chemicals that pose a threat to the environment. You can also create more jobs because the farther you go into space the more areas you need to account for. For example according to universetoday.com NASA should create about 11,800 jobs each year whether that be in engineering, physics, science, chemistry, etc. NASA can help with predicting weather disasters and responding to them as well. NASA can predict weather about 2 weeks prior to the event. That can save lives and help people prepare for the weather disasters. NASA responds to the situation by sending images from space/atmosphere to the ground so that the government can observe which areas they need to spread out their responders(4,5).
Pollution to outer space causes waste that can damage planets in our solar system either chemically or physically, which can even harm Earth if we aren’t careful. The cost of funding the space program is an ongoing budget. In 2016, NASA was given 19.3 billion dollars to spend which is about .5% of the US’s budget. The space program is being invested likes its the future, but what if it isn’t? Political tension in space is a challenge the US is facing right now because some of their space stations including the International Space Station, ISS, is a partnership with Russia. The partnership is faced with managing a $100 billion station. Russia has of recently threatened to ban us from the station. This won’t happen, but creates a high level tension between the two countries(6).
To answer the question though, space explorations helps address fundamental questions about our universe. Knowing the history of the objects around Earth can tell us more about Earth itself. Failure can also occur if the general public doesn't want to fund the space program. They would have lost interest in exploring space, which is very unlikely but possible.