To Infinity and Beyond
“Space: the final frontier… To boldly go where no man has gone before” (Cpt. Kirk. par1). I remember as a kid the astonishment planted on my face everytime I looked up at the night sky. It has always made me wonder what space was like, and the most creative question you could ask yourself “what was out there?” Understanding the complexities of space opened up new doors to advancements in astronautic technology. With the establishment of an organization that will dedicate its time and resources to the understanding of the vastness around us, brought the “final frontier” to our doorsteps. Government fundings proved to have a positive reflection in our understanding of space travel, and space itself.
At the height of
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history. The P.A.O. (Public Affairs Officer) could be heard over the crowd of anticpiated faces: “Twelve, 11, 10, 9, ignition sequence starts… 6, 5, 4… 3… 2, 1, zero, all engine running. Lift off! We have a lift-off, 32 minutes past the hour. Liftoff on Apollo 11.” (NASA. 1969). On July 16th, 1969, at exactly 1:32 pm, NASA and the United States of America witnessed the start of a new, unprecedented journey in space exploration. Four days later on July 20th, “the United States effectively won the space race” (History. par 10) when Neil Armstrong became the first human being to step foot on the moon. It was this competitive instinct that led the U.S. into further funding for …show more content…
Pioneer 11 was a leading model in the research and understanding of Jupiter and Saturn; a martyr for the Voyager missions. Voyager 1 and 2 like Pioneer 11, spent their time studying the two super gas giants. They have discovered rings around Jupiter, and volcanic activity of Jupiter’s moons. Unlike its martyr, Voyager still continues along the edge of our solar system, marking its entrance into interstellar space collecting important data as it goes. Questionably, the superior probes to date was the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). Over its nine year mission span, the WMAP was able to gather massive amounts of data, changing and shaping the way we see our universe. The WMAP concluded that “today our Universe is made up of 72% Dark Energy, 23% Dark Matter and only 4.6% Atoms,that the first generation of stars to shine in the Universe ignited only 200 million years after the Big Bang, and provided the first direct detection of pre-stellar helium, providing an important test of the Big Bang prediction” (NASA. par 5). Originally, scientists estimated that the universe was roughly 14 billion years old, but because of the WMAP, it has redefined that statistic, placing the universe at “13.77 billion years old” (NASA. par 5). After being launched in 1990, the Hubble space telescope has contributed to understanding the space
...ause it was the mission that NASA was able to put the first man up onto the moon. Neil Armstrong was the pilot of the Apollo 11 flight. There was a special shuttle that was attached to the spaceship; it was called the Eagle. The Eagle was designed to transport some crew members down to the moon. Armstrong was responsible for driving and landing the shuttle safely down to the moon. While on his way down to the moon, Armstrong realized that he was starting to run out of fuel. Thankfully, Armstrong did have enough to land on the moon and make it back up to the spaceship. When the Eagle was leaving the spaceship for the first time up in space, it wasn't completely depressurized so there was something like a gas bubble come from the shuttle as it was on its way to the moon. The gas bubble moved the shuttle off course and the Eagle actually landed four miles off course.
middle of paper ... ...2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. The "NASA History" Congressional Digest 90.7 (2011): 196-224. Academic Search Premier -. Web.
Dumoulin, Jim. "Apollo 11." Kennedy Space Center Launching A Vision. 12 Dec. 2001. 13 Dec. 2001 <http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/>.
In 1961, the United States of America was embroiled in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. This confrontation was taking place not only on land, sea and air, but in space as well. On May 25th, 1961 recently elected US President John F. Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress, during which he outlined his now famous Man on the Moon challenge. It was through this ambitious dream that the creation of the National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA) came about, which President Kennedy challenged to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Although he didn't live to see the achievement of his dreams, the United States successfully landed Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the moon on July 20, 1969 and brought them home safely1. It was President Kennedy's passionate beliefs that come through not only in his style of writing but in his delivery of the speech that drive home his point and get Congress, Industry and the American people to take up his call to arms.
Early on in the race, the USSR was very successful. In 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, which triggered the start of the space race (John F. Kennedy). The United States began to scramble, trying to catch up with the Soviets. However, soon after, the Soviet Union completed another huge success. They sent the first man to orbit Earth (John F. Kennedy). In 1961 the USSR’s Yuri Gagarin became the first human to ever orbit the Earth (John F. Kennedy). The United States was still unsuccessful and beginning to look weak. After that, America got serious. On May 25, 1961, President Kennedy asked Congress for around eight billion dollars to build up the space program over the next five years (John F. Kennedy). The president declared, “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth” (John F. Kennedy).
It is within man’s blood and nature to explore, and space is our next New World. Man’s first achievement in space travel was the launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957. For the next decades, space travel was roaring like a rocket, fueled by man’s desire to explore, man’s desire for knowledge, and man’s desire to beat his enemies. However, these impulses have died out as the well of government funding has been diverted to wars and debts, and the interest of the American people has been diverted to wars and debts. Amidst all these issues it is debated as to whether or not space travel is worth the money and the attention of scientists, particularly since humanity faces so many issues on earth currently. However, because of the past inventions, current services, and future benefits, space travel is indeed worth the money and attention of governments and people. It is within our hands to control man’s advancement, and space travel is the next venue to do so.
Anne, Minard,"Apollo 11 at 40: Facts, Myths, Photos, and More." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 20 July 2009. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
Story synopsis: Centuries have passed since the time when man only lived under the shadow of one moon and even now settlers were traveling on their way to places where they would no longer bathe under the gaze of the original sun. As mineral resources had begun to run low in the previous centuries, an interspace asteroid mining economy had developed. The story follows the journeys’ of a miner on a long range mining venture in search of rarer materials which had been depleted in NPAs. The young miner marvel’s at the beauty of space and its wonders while he performs experiments to test and retrieve minerals. The story will focus heavily on currently theorized asteroid retrieval and mining methods in addition to asteroid composition
Outer space has always intrigued the human mind. Ever since humans inhabited the Earth, they have always looked to the heavens. Ptolemy, who lived over two thousand years ago, dreamed of being with the stars. He said, “I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral; but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill of ambrosia” (Tyson). At that time, reaching the “final frontier” was not even remotely possible.
People have been venturing out into the universe for many years now. In addition to satellites, both women and men astronauts have traveled into space to collect data about the universe. The first human being, the first animal, and the first spacecraft in orbit, were all achievements of the Soviet Union.
Since the beginning of time, mankind has sought after learning about and exploring the universe. This yearning drove us to achieve such great things as the journey to the moon and the discovery of water on mars. Nowadays, several people argue as to whether or not space exploration is worth the effort. I believe that it is humanity’s instinctual nature to pursue a better understanding of ourselves, and our universe. Further understanding of our universe will lead to the discovery of new technologies and ways to secure humanity’s survivability. As such, this essay will argue that space exploration is a necessity to our kind and that NASA should be progressively more financed.
Most people think that the costly downside to funding space exploration is a reason to avoid spending money on sciences and instead spend it on problems here on earth, but such funding for space exploration actually promotes economical as well as scientific benefits. Space exploration is an important expenditure for the high cost because of the potential for numerous benefits such as the possibility to find useful resources to cultivate, space exploration and satellites produce many thousands of jobs in our economy, and it creates and discovers newer and better technologies through research and development.
Space has always been a pivotal and utmost important subject for many years. In the past, scientists have made monumental advances in this field such as sending people into orbit and landing a man on the moon. Of course, this has only barely been explored and we still have a lot more to see of the ever-vast outer space. One of the most significant topics of all of science has only been touched and there’s still more to come.
“Sheltered as we are by Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, which deflect lethal radiation from space, we are like coddled children who have never ventured into a tough neighborhood” (Folger 2). Humans have been fascinated with space since the beginning of our time. Just like children and rough neighborhoods, we have tackled obstacle over obstacle to make it home again. In the end, we have a better knowledge and strength than before. The future of space exploration can assist us in answering the everlasting question of how the universe came to be. The more we explore the infinite galaxies, the more we can scientifically discover and create new technologies as science advances. As we continue to discover, we can create new fields and occupations for aspiring young students like myself.
The modern day space environment is no longer a mystery to humans. Yuri Gagarin of Russia was the first person to experience space adventure in 1961. Since then, technological advances have enabled space exploration, with new discoveries being made from time to time. Scientists have significantly contributed to the development of space tourism. Noteworthy inventions by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have transformed human life through increasing accessibility to space. The agency has made it possible for astronauts to go to the moon and also to walk around planet Mars with robotic automobiles. The invention of the tri-axis control design has had a significant influence on modern space explorations, helping astronauts to effectively focus their satellites on the target. This has been important in increasing efficiency and precision in astronomical discoveries (Birchard, 2003).