Envision a Universe

It has been only eleven years since the launch of the first piece of the International Space Station in 1998 (Walker). Since then it has developed into a sophisticated structure that orbits Earth. Only time will tell just how much bigger the Space Station will get and whether it will ever be able to leave Earth’s orbit into deep space. It all depends on technology and how quickly scientists can discover new inventions to aid in the new space race. Envision a few years from now when average people travel on space planes to outer space for work. People will travel to space hotels for tourism and even other planets to start a new life. No longer will people be limited to the resources available inside Earth’s atmosphere when there is an entire universe to be explored.

Some may argue that NASA and space exploration are a waste of time and money that could be used to help the poor here on Earth. However, some contend that NASA’s budget is only 0.5 percent of federal funds which is insignificant when compared to healthcare and social security which consume 22 and 19 percent respectively (“Reach for the stars”). Exploration may be a gamble but history has proven that investing in this sort of thing can have great rewards. If past European powers had not invested in exploration, then they would have never discovered the new technologies that lead them to the New World. Even still, can one really put on a price on discovering new life forms and habitable planets? This sort of discovery would change the universe as we know it.

Works Cited:

Walker, Charles D. "International Space Station." Space Sciences. Ed. Pat Dasch. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. Science Resource Center. Gale. 12 November 2009 http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/SciRC?ste=1&docNum=CV2643750166

"Reach for the stars. but we can still make life better for underprivileged people back on earth." Editorial New Scientist, Sept 8, 2007 v195 i2620 p5(1). Science Resource Center. Gale. 05 November 2009 http://ezp.tccd.edu:2055/servlet/SciRC?ste=1&docNum=A169023119

Photo Credit:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0801/M31_hallas.jpg

The Hunt for a Second Earth

As basic biology demonstrates, water is essential in order for life to exist. Therefore in the search for another habitable planet, that planet must be able to harbor liquid water. This may seem like a simple thing to ask for but it’s a little more complicated than that. The need for liquid water means that a planet must orbit at just the right distance away from its star (“Home Hunting in the Universe”). The planet must be at a distance that the heat from the star is not hot enough for all the water to evaporate but at the same time it can’t be too cold that all the water freezes (“Home Hunting in the Universe”).

Apart from Earth, Mars is thought to be the only planet in the solar system in which life is most likely to exist. The NASA Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity have both gathered evidence that liquid water had once existed on the planet Mars (Larson, Extraterrestrials). There is also evidence that water may exist on the planet even today, either beneath its surface or in its polar ice caps (Larson, Extraterrestrials). Although the chances of there being life forms as sophisticated as humans on Mars is slim, it would still be remarkable to witness some form of life on another planet. This would certainly give aspirations to mankind to search for more life in the universe.

To assist further in the search for a second-Earth, on March 6, 2009, NASA launched an unmanned spacecraft named Kepler into space (Tanenbaum). Its main task is to use its high-tech telescope to find a habitable planet in another solar system (Tanenbaum). It will monitor about 100,000 stars for the next three to six years and report its findings back to Earth (Tanenbaum). There are high hopes for Kepler, partly due to the discovery of planet Gliese 581c about twenty light years away that is quite simply the most Earth-like planet yet detected orbiting another star (Larson, Another Earth). This super-Earth, which has a mass five times that of Earth, is considerably closer to Gliese 581 (its star) than Earth is to the Sun (Larson, Another Earth). However, the star is also smaller than the Sun therefore this planet lies in the “habitable zone” and can nurture water at a temperature between 0 and 40 degrees Celsius (Larson, Another Earth). This temperature is perfect for supporting life; unfortunately this paradise is currently out of reach for current space travel capabilities.

Works Cited:

Larson, Chris. "Another Earth?" Today’s Science. Facts On File News Services, May 2007. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Larson, Chris. "Extraterrestrials: The Search Gets Serious." Today’s Science On File: n. pag. Today’s Science. Facts On File News Services, 30 June 2005. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

"Home Hunting in the Universe." Today’s Science. Facts On File News Services, July 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Tanenbaum, Jessica. "The Kepler Mission: NASA's Newest Planet Finder." Today’s Science. Facts On File News Services, Apr. 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Photo Credit:

http://ezp.tccd.edu:2085/stories/photos/sp005856.jpg

Space Planes

Currently, NASA uses Space Shuttles, or Orbiters, to fly a crew into space. These Space Shuttles have proven to be successful, although they have been becoming a burden to NASA. The Space Shuttle is not economical, reusable, or even safe (Bentley 27). Almost a quarter of NASA’s budget goes into the Shuttle (one Shuttle flight is estimated to cost 350 million dollars) and it is only partially recoverable (Bentley 24). The External Tank required by the Shuttle’s main engine cannot be recovered and the Two Solid Rocket Boosters can be reused about 20 times (Verger 140). Space Shuttles Columbia and Challenger are both proof that the Space Shuttle can have it major flaws (Bentley 96). The crews of these Shuttles gave their lives for mankind’s quest for new knowledge.

An alternative to the Space Shuttle is a combination of an enhanced airplane and Space Shuttle called a space plane. These space planes are already being manufactured and tested by various organizations (Bentley 24). Not only will they be capable of transporting scientists and astronauts into space but also tourists, thus creating space tourism. The space tourists will solve the budget problems of government agencies and private companies by simply engaging in space tourism. Matthew A. Bentley states that “Tourism is already a multi-billion dollar industry on Earth, and tourism in space will be no different.” Spaceships so far have not been either economical or affordable. This is because unlike airplanes, spaceships have neither been perfected nor produced in large numbers (Bentley 30). Space tourism is about to change that with more and more people demanding space access. Ultimately this demand will drive down costs and improve the quality of space vehicles (Bentley 31). The economical benefits of the space plane will force space agencies to completely retire the Space Shuttle. In addition to the cost effectiveness is its reusability and safety. The space planes of the future will not launch from ballistic missiles as they do now, making them much safer than the conventional Space Shuttle. Also, more advanced space planes will be capable of taking off on their own power, much like the very safe airplanes that people use every day. Gone will be the days of throwing away expensive rockets used to launch Space Shuttles into orbit.

Space planes are not science fiction. The Space Shuttles used today can be considered space planes but they have a long way to go before they can be called advanced space planes. It took engineers forty-four years to develop the 700-mph X-1, the first manned vehicle to break the sound barrier, from when the Wright brothers invented the first airplane (Bentley 81). To say that in a few years from now people will be flying to and from space on a regularly basis, is a definite possibility.

Works Cited:

Bentley, Matthew A. Spaceplanes: From Airport to Spaceport. New York: Springer, 2009.

Verger, Fernand, et al. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Space: Missions, Applications and Exploration. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Photo Credit:

"Space Plane"

http://a52.g.akamaitech.net/f/52/827/1d/www.space.com/images/090311-spaceplane-fly-02.jpg