technologies role in space travel

7/21/2019 Technologies Role in Space Travel

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Technologies Role in Space Travel


By

William H. Brooks III

Park University

CS300: Technology in a Global Society

Summer Term

July 2014


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

1. INTRODUCTION.. ......1

2. SPACE TRAVEL & SURVIVAL ........................2

a.Lift-off to Live ...............3

b. The International Space Station.......4

c. The MoonBase...... ..5

3. FUTURE SPACE TRAVEL AND MISSIONS........6

a. The Red Planet.......7

b. From a Colony to Colonization......8

4. CONCLUSION.........9


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INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this essay is to describe the role that technology plays in the arena of

space travel, the colonization of other planets, and the study / discovery of new distant

worlds. Today our space program has reached a very vital point from which technology

has sprung forward dramatically in a very short period of time. To sum it up todays

technology is like living inside of the movie Back to thefuture, where scientists

innovations opened up the worm-hole to other worlds and times. 15 Years ago it

required long periods of funding for NASA and other space agencies to send a

unmanned spacecraft to survey distant moons in our solar system, but now due to the

current engineering work and technology theres a emergence of independent space

travel companies such as Virgin Galactic and Star Chaser Industries who can routinely

provide long-distance space travel and even future colonization on distant planets.

Today technology has helped scientists to prove that the sun is the center of our

solar system and study many of our neighboring planets. In the beginning the dreams of

man traveling into space and exploring the universe were a simply pipe dream because

there was no technology to support it; however, today technology has provided a way to

fulfill that dream. Due to recent innovations and breakthroughs in technology the space

explorers of today will have better ships that are equipped with the latest navigational

systems which will play a vital role in our conquest to discover and colonize new worlds.

When the Wright Brothers discovered the intricacies of powered flight, this was the


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ignition point of that mental rocket that propelled mans desire and interest to exploreall

things above the earthssurface. Since then man has achieved the once impossible, by

not only traveling into space, but also walking on the moon. There are many reasons

man has to explore the universe; such as a limited supply of natural resources, and the

overpopulation of our land masses.

SPACE TRAVEL & SURVIVAL

Li f t -of f to Live

The first moon walk and the construction of the international space station are great

achievements, but there are still many challenges regarding space travel. These

challenges raise disturbing questions, such as; will man ever achieve prolonged space

exploration or colonization? One important thing that should never be overlooked is that

the human body is a delicate machine which was built and designed to survive on the

strict guidelines of this planet, so things like atmosphere and gravity, along with our

susceptibility to solar radiation will make it very difficult to achieve our space exploration

goals. One ray of hope is the recent discovery of propulsion technology which has

totally revitalized mans desire and ability to travel into space and to colonize the

heavens.

In 1609, Galileo Galilei pointed his newly invented telescope towards the heavens

and became the first of all men to see that there were other worlds beyond the Earth.

Years later, Nicholas Copernicus paved the way for the modern picture of the universe.


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He came up with a theory of the solar system in which the sun is the central body and

other planets revolved around it. A whole new science was born. As a result, many

scientists focused on the planets making great discoveries. Astronomy ceased to

belong to the theologians and became an extension of geography. Only a few decades

after the first telescope was invented, a whole literature of space travel had emerged,

mixing fiction with newly acquired astronomical knowledge (Man and Space 9-10).

Today, there is no one who can predict just how fast humans will spread out across

the solar system or just how far we shall be able to explore it. New technologies such as

nuclear propulsion will make it easier to access other planets. Scientists predict that a

century from now, the planet Pluto will seem closer to our grandchildren than the Earth's

poles did to our grandparents. There is no doubt that the powers that are now coming

into our hands will be enough to reshape this solar system like we have already

reshaped the Earth (Man and Space 153).

In order to avoid extinction of the human race from cosmic catastrophes, mankind

must use scientific knowledge to protect ourselves. For humans to sustain long-term

survival, animal and plant and human populations must eventually be spread out to

other planets or space habitats. If we do not disperse life to other planets and our planet

is bombarded by giant cosmic catastrophes like those of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 that

slammed into Jupiter in July 1994, the probability of human survival would be very

minute.


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The life on any planet will, however, eventually become extinct, if for no other reason

than the death of its own sun. Therefore, having multiple independent communities on

other planets as well as other solar systems will decrease the chances of the extinction

of all of mankind. (The End: Natural Disasters, Manmade Catastrophes, and the Future

of Human Survival 1-2). Therefore it is necessary to explore and colonize space to

ensure long term survival of the human race.

The Internatio nal Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest space project to date and the

most complex international scientific project in history. It is a joint a collaboration of 16

countries: United States (NASA), Russia (Russian Federal Space Agency - formerly

Rosaviakosmos), Brazil, Canada (Canadian Space Agency), Japan Aerospace

Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency. ESA members involved

are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland and United Kingdom. NASA uses the station to learn about living and

working in space.

The ISS is visited by a variety of spacecraft use docking ports to connect to the

space station. The Quest Airlock enables access for spacewalks essential to the

facility's continuing construction. Canadarm2 is a Canadian-built apparatus is a large,

remote-controlled space arm that functions as a crane and is being utilized for a wide

variety of tasks. The International Space Station travels around the Earth at an average

speed of 27,700 km/hr and completes 16 orbits per day.


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The International Space Station consists of many parts called modules. These

modules provide living areas. Modules called 'nodes' connect other parts. Labs on the

space station let astronauts do research. Solar Arrays technology is used to collect

energy from the sun. It turns the suns energy into electricity. They are located on the

sides of the space station. Robot technology is also used; the station has robotic arms

attached on the outsides of it, they were used to help to build the space station and they

can also move astronauts around outside and to control science experiments. The

space station also utilizes Airlock technology on the space station doors. Astronauts use

these to go outside on spacewalks and the work that is done while in spacesuits utilize

similar technology when astronauts are adding to and maintaining the space station.

MoonBase

In 2006 NASA announced plans to construct a solar-powered outpost at one the

moon's poles. The lunar base is expected to be permanently staffed by 2024. The

outpost concept was chosen over a competing strategy similar to the 1960s and '70s

Apollo program a series of brief trips to the moon. The moon base will allow for

sustained human presence on the moon's surface and help the agency prepare for

future missions to Mars and beyond. The announcement was part of NASA's

congressionally mandated strategy to meet U.S. President George W. Bush's "Vision for

U.S. Space Exploration," a plan outlined in 2004. The Bush plan includes returning


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humans to the moon no later than 2020. The goal is to take advantage of the moon's

resources and to establish a launching point for further explorations.

Moving away from the Space Shuttle program that has been in operation for nearly

three decades now, NASA has focused its efforts on developing a new spacecraft that

can bring passengers to the Moon and Mars, called Project Constellation. This program

will utilize private corporations to step up and oversee the development of the next low-

orbit vehicles that will take astronauts and civilians to the International Space Station

and the Moonbase. Virgin Galactic will serve as the anchor tenant at Spaceport America

and the company's mission control center and astronaut preparation facilities will be

housed at the spaceport, which opened in 2011.

It is expected that the spaceport will hold two WhiteKnightTwos, the carrier that will

launch the SpaceShipTwo into, well, space. The spaceport will hold five

SpaceShipTwos, suborbital space planes that will carry up to six tourists each willing to

pay $200,000 per seat. The spaceport will be utilized for missions to the Space Station,

the moonbase and beyond, it is protected from the extremes of the area's climate and

makes use of westerly winds for ventilation. On either side of an entry passageway

theres a series of earth tubes precondition the interior's air and a ground-source heat

pump helps reduce HVAC needs by a substantial 50-70%," according to Inhabitat. The

runway is 42 inches thick and designed to support almost every aircraft currently in

existence.


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FUTURE SPACE TRAVEL AND MISSIONS

The Red Planet

The Human Exploration of Mars is set to begin by 2025, the United States may begin

a Manned Mars Mission or it may be an international effort, either way Mars is the next

logical place to explore after our own moon. Robotic exploration of the Red Planet

began in the 1960's and is continuing through the technology used in the Curiosity rover

to this date. Some questions that were answered earlier were: Why should humans

explore Mars? Will the journey be safe? Will it be affordable? And can private

enterprise maintain its leadership role in space exploration?

In the distant future Bases will be created and Mars and tourism will become viable

because cheap space transport has been developed and the necessary infrastructure

has been set in place. Many tourists of the future will want to visit some of the best

features of Mars like: Valles Marineres: A giant canyon system stretching over 5,000km

(3,100 miles) along the equator with an average depth of 6km. See if you can spot the

erosion channels that could reveal the planet's watery past. Olympus Mons: The largest

volcano in the Solar System. Reaching 27km (17 miles) high and 700km (435 miles)

across, but don't be afraid - this monstrous volcano is now extinct, so the visit will be a

safe one.

When the first human crews arrive at the red planet, they will be able to achieve

more than any automated missions due to the advances in technology, but for manned


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Mars exploration to have sustained development, long term public and political support

must be set in place. Technologies such as supercomputers with true artificial

intelligence, lasers, holograms, avatars and other future technology will be used to

explore in detail places where humans cant go. These technologies will be used first for

future space missions to map out and examine in detail the planets of the solar system

before a human ever sets foot there as so has been the case with Mars.

Mars unlike the dead world of the Moon, the Martian landscape is filled with

possibility, but humans must be able to survive there. In the grand tradition of

successful explorers, many call for a travel-light and live-off-the-land approach to

Martian settlement. Today scientist can use present-day technology to send humans to

Mars; produce fuel and oxygen on the planets surface with its own natural resources;

build bases and settlements; and one day terraform or alter the atmosphere of the

planet in order to pave the way for sustainable life. The mission to Mars is definitely a

comprehensive plan to build life on a new world through the usage of todays

technology.

From a Colony to Colonizat ion

Just as the first explorers set out to colonize the Americas todays modern man

seeks diligently to colonize outer-space. Consequently, intelligent beings capable of

interplanetary flight and nuclear technology have evolved by way of natural selection,

and as a result of life's prime motive, which is survival. It therefore seems evident that

intelligent beings capable of space flight and nuclear explosive technology may not


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have evolved on this world, or possibly others, to just survive as a planet bound

species.

It is probable that people have evolved to occupy the niche that could perpetuate the

survival of evolved life by way of planetary protection and interplanetary dispersion. If

this is not the case, then the human race is destined for a planet-bound extinction,

either by its own doing or through some other disaster as has been the case for all of

Earth's previous dominant species. Eventually, another species more capable than

Homo sapiens will have an opportunity to develop, and the protection and dispersal of

life from this world may take place. If not, life will probably dead-end on this planet as it

might have on Mars.

It is necessary to explore and colonize space to ensure long term survival of the

human race. If we as a human race expect to survive for billions of years, we must

reach out into the vastness of space. We have to colonize and settle on other planets.

By dispersing humans throughout the galaxy, we are increasing the chances of long

term human survival. It is natural instinct for humans to survive. If no space colonies are

formed, the human race is doomed to Earth bound extinction. It is inevitable.

Conclus ion

Without technology we could never colonize other planets, study them, or discover

new distant worlds. But thanks to the technology that fuels todaysspace programs we

have made giant leaps forward in a very short period of time. New innovations and the


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emergence of independent space agencies have taken us beyond the days of the

unmanned spacecraft to the reality of building bases on distant moons and traveling

deep within our very own solar system. Current engineering work and technology

developments by independent space travel companies such as Virgin Galactic and Star

Chaser Industries has made it possible to routinely access long-distance space travel

and eventually achieve the colonization on distant planets.

Todaystechnology will help man travel into space and explore the universe; todays

technology has provided a way to fulfill that dream. Breakthroughs in technology have

provided a means to construct better ships that will utilize the latest navigational

systems and possess the capability to conquest and colonize new worlds. The limited

supply of natural resources and the overpopulation of our land masses are the primary

reasons that man must explore the universe. Technology of today is like the winds that

blew inside of Columbus sails on his conquest to find new lands. Technology will push

us on to our destination and help us to navigate through the depths of space; it will help

us to build something new on foreign soil, and finally it will provide a means of survival

for the future generations of all mankind.


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Works Cited

Man and Space (Life Science Library) Library BindingJune 1, 1981By: Arthur C. Clarke (Author)

The End: Natural Disasters, Manmade Catastrophes, and the Future of Human Survival[NOOK Book] By: Marq de Villiers

Origins of Space Flight, Retrieved Thursday, July 03, 2014 fromhttp://www.cosmicelk.net/originsofspaceflight.htm

Spaceport America: The Future of Space Travel, By: Nicholas JacksonNov 2 2010, 2:20 PM EThttp://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/11/spaceport-america-the-future-of-space-travel/65597/

Inside the Space Station [VHS] (2000)Liam Neeson (Actor), Pierre de Lespinois (Director) | Rated: NR | Format: VHS Tape

Future Space Travel and Missionshttp://www.futuretechnology500.com/index.php/future-space-travel-and-missions/


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Categories of Variables Access/Mutator methods

Constants

Constructors Being able to read code and determine output

Primitives and objects

Output using printf

operators

variable scope

objects, object reference, class, class reference

Built in classes/methods such as Math class and Scanner class

Helper methods

Overloading

Loops and nested loops

Access modifiers: public/private Instance and class methods

Relational operators such as and/or/not

Decision structures

Concepts (terminology

and concepts that should

be memorized): relevant

learning outcomes 1, 6

Multiple-choice and true/false questions that ask the

student about CS 151 concepts.

Short answer questions that ask the student to explain

various concepts and trace and debug code fragmentsand/or programs.

For example questions, teachers should refer to the CS151example exam, questions 1-20.

Problem solving (technical

skills, critical thinking, and

communication):

relevant learning

outcomes 2, 4, 5, 7, 8

Given a problem description, produce a solution in the formof a short program or a method(s).

For example questions, teachers should refer to the CS151example exam, questions 21-22.

technologies role in space travel

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