Sunday, November 2, 2014
Introduction
From the first time mankind had demonstrated their intent to explore and discover what is beyond our home plant, we have come along way. However, we have an even longer way to go, and the current technologies that are present today are not enough to takes all the way there. From the first moment that the humans looked up at the stars and galaxies we have dreamed of visiting those places. In some aspects of space travel we have excelled in and others we have not. An example of this is our remarkable expertise in sending satellites, and unmanned robotic flights into space. These innovations and expertise have been encouraged by mass media such as, television, radio and the internet. This is why having knowledge of past and present attempts at space travel will greatly help in our ever more daring attempts at space travel, because why are only at the beginning at the human journey into space.
Timeline of Human Space Travel
Past
This idea of space travel was mainly made famous by the events of the space race. The space race was this unofficial competition between the Soviet Union and USA to prove that they were the better people. As a result, space travel was a government department that was funded by a government to send rockets, satellites and people into space. The Soviet Union was quick to send the first satellite into space, which they called sputnik. They also hold many other firsts, making them way ahead of the american. The Americans had to kick it into high gear and did so by creating their own space agency called NASA. NASA has had many programs in it history that include unmanned and manned missions. For example, the Pioneer, Gemini, Mercury and most famously the Apollo Program. As such the exploration has been heavily influenced by politics of the cold war era. For instance, President Kennedy gave a famous speech and in that speech he made a promise to the american people that by the end of the 1960's the first people to land on the moon would be Americans. This came true on July 20, 1969 that the Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first human to step foot on the moon. This event was not only important for science but also marked the beginning of the end to the space race, which had driven the coarse of space exploration for years and who's influence reverberates today.
Present
Currently, mankind's advancements in technology have led to more discoveries about our universe than ever before. Although, the use of robotic rovers to explore are not the newest thing however, we are ending them further than we have ever before. For example, we have sent multiple land rovers to mars for exploration purposes, that have in fact have made some remarkable discoveries such as, organic compounds needed for life and the frozen water in the form of ice. We have also sent countless number satellites into orbit around the earth for communication one earth and as well as satellites like the Hubble space telescope with hundreds of different sensors to observe the universe in a way that we never observed it before until now. Another program that has recently been closed was the space shuttle program. The idea behind it was to send astronauts to space to perform experiments that can't be done on earth. Another use was to transport people and supplies to International Space Station. The ISS is a program that is worked on by nearly every space agency where one agency builds one part to make a station that is in orbit around earth. This place is where astronauts go to perform experiments and study to effects micro gravity and space travel on the human body.
Future
Many theories and ideas for the future of space travel have been circulating in space agencies around the world. The most profound change that is predicted to occur is that more and more private companies will take over the research and development that other agencies left off, as less and less governments are willing to spend money on space development because of current economic situation. For example, companies like Virgin Galactic, Space X, and with many more to come will lead the way through space travel. Many of these companies hope to provide space flights for average people who desire to go to space. Some companies have even expressed that they want to space for the resources that it offers. They want to go to space to mine for natural resources that our society needs to function. This could involve mining asteroids or other planets. However, all of these companies are still in the developmental stage and only a few have completed successful test flights. One thing that required to make any of this possible is the development of new technologies and new ways to travel in space. some of the major technologies needed are ways to get cheap and light fuel source, warp drives that allow use to travel at nearly the speed of light, and ways to solve the physical problems that occur to humans on long space flights. We are only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of space travel and journey of human space travel has only just begun.
This idea of space travel was mainly made famous by the events of the space race. The space race was this unofficial competition between the Soviet Union and USA to prove that they were the better people. As a result, space travel was a government department that was funded by a government to send rockets, satellites and people into space. The Soviet Union was quick to send the first satellite into space, which they called sputnik. They also hold many other firsts, making them way ahead of the american. The Americans had to kick it into high gear and did so by creating their own space agency called NASA. NASA has had many programs in it history that include unmanned and manned missions. For example, the Pioneer, Gemini, Mercury and most famously the Apollo Program. As such the exploration has been heavily influenced by politics of the cold war era. For instance, President Kennedy gave a famous speech and in that speech he made a promise to the american people that by the end of the 1960's the first people to land on the moon would be Americans. This came true on July 20, 1969 that the Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first human to step foot on the moon. This event was not only important for science but also marked the beginning of the end to the space race, which had driven the coarse of space exploration for years and who's influence reverberates today.
Present
Currently, mankind's advancements in technology have led to more discoveries about our universe than ever before. Although, the use of robotic rovers to explore are not the newest thing however, we are ending them further than we have ever before. For example, we have sent multiple land rovers to mars for exploration purposes, that have in fact have made some remarkable discoveries such as, organic compounds needed for life and the frozen water in the form of ice. We have also sent countless number satellites into orbit around the earth for communication one earth and as well as satellites like the Hubble space telescope with hundreds of different sensors to observe the universe in a way that we never observed it before until now. Another program that has recently been closed was the space shuttle program. The idea behind it was to send astronauts to space to perform experiments that can't be done on earth. Another use was to transport people and supplies to International Space Station. The ISS is a program that is worked on by nearly every space agency where one agency builds one part to make a station that is in orbit around earth. This place is where astronauts go to perform experiments and study to effects micro gravity and space travel on the human body.
Future
Many theories and ideas for the future of space travel have been circulating in space agencies around the world. The most profound change that is predicted to occur is that more and more private companies will take over the research and development that other agencies left off, as less and less governments are willing to spend money on space development because of current economic situation. For example, companies like Virgin Galactic, Space X, and with many more to come will lead the way through space travel. Many of these companies hope to provide space flights for average people who desire to go to space. Some companies have even expressed that they want to space for the resources that it offers. They want to go to space to mine for natural resources that our society needs to function. This could involve mining asteroids or other planets. However, all of these companies are still in the developmental stage and only a few have completed successful test flights. One thing that required to make any of this possible is the development of new technologies and new ways to travel in space. some of the major technologies needed are ways to get cheap and light fuel source, warp drives that allow use to travel at nearly the speed of light, and ways to solve the physical problems that occur to humans on long space flights. We are only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of space travel and journey of human space travel has only just begun.
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