The statement that best describes why the steady state theory cannot explain the radiation detected in space is:
The theory is based on the idea that an explosion did not occur; therefore, evidence of radiation would not be predicted in the theory.
This is because the steady state theory posits a continuous creation of matter to maintain a constant density in an expanding universe, which does not account for the background radiation that is consistent with the Big Bang theory. The existence of cosmic microwave background radiation is predicted by the Big Bang theory, while the steady state theory does not include a mechanism for such radiation.