Space+travel

Kaitlyn Sturdy Hour 6 ALP

= Space Travel = = =

In the 1960’s, many people from NASA were wondering, what is going to be our next step after Apollo? The answer to that was to change the goals of space exploration completely. Since they had already landed people on the moon, they now turned their focus to moving people out into space. They hoped that they could put bases on the moon and space stations in earths orbit. The United States also wanted to investigate the possibility of using lunar resources and further explore the future of living somewhere other than earth. It would be a daring task that would take billions of dollars in an era of low space budgets.

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Moon Base
A moon base will allow humans to stay longer on the moon and will also help us prepare for our future journey to Mars and other parts of the solar system. Another goal is to pursue all the resources the moon has to offer and to establish a base for any further space explorations. Those studying the moon would also learn how to cope with risk of universal radiation and being blasted by meteors. We are now in the 21st century and there is no moon base, but NASA plans on having a lunar base staffed by 2024. We can not afford to give up what we have already accomplished but need to pursue the vision for future exploration.

Space Stations
A space station is a manmade structure that is designed for people to live in outer space. Space stations are very important to the world and space we have come to know today. They track severe weather, map out the land and sea, and look to the sun which controls the climate of the earth. They are designed to stay out in space for different periods of time, ranging for weeks to years. Space stations are stationary, therefore other vehicles are used to transport to and from the station. The United States and 16 nations are developing a new space station that is called the International Space Station (ISS). It will be the largest manned object that has ever been sent into space. It is forty three thousand cubic feet of space which is equal to two boeing 747’s. when the space station is finished it will be visible to more than 90% of the world. It will consist of 70 major components and hundreds of smaller ones, all of these parts will be assembled in space. Astronauts at the station will spend more time working on experiments than anything else. The large station will circle the earth every 90 minutes and will look down on 85 percent of the worlds populated are areas. The space station is the most expensive single object built and it has taken the work of 100 thousand people. The United States cost alone is close to $96 billion.

Lunar Resources
Another option that the United States is looking into is the possibility of using lunar resources to create new awareness and how difficult that task may be. No one has ever shown how to extract resources on the moon. There is nothing in the structure of the moon that suggests it is not possible, we just do not know how complex it is or what problems may arise. Because this project is just in its beginning stages, the private sector cannot raise the money that is necessary to fund it. That is why this is a suitable objective for the federal space program. This is why NASAneeds to lead the way and begin the process of creating the blue print for transportation into the solar system. Materials NASA hopes to extract from the moon consist of oxygen, fuel, water, and construction matter. All of the material extracted from the moon will be used to further expand the lunar blueprint.

Future Destinations
Can humans live somewhere other than earth? That is the biggest question that drives the desire for space exploration, especially Mars. Even though Mars it is the most distant and challenging planet to get to, it is the planet that has the closest similarity to Earth, including seasons of the year. There are 4 mini destinations that scientists have arranged in order of their difficulty to begin exploration beyond earth. The first is Sun-Earth Lagrangian Point L2 (SEL2). It is located approximately one million miles from the dark side of earth opposite the sun. this is the sight where future telescopes will be located. They will try to locate other earthlike planets around the stars. The moon is the next destination and here we will learn the history of the sun and the affect on the earths environment. The third location is the Near-Earth Asteroids. These objects circulate in orbits between the Earth and Mars and can be a resource as well as a hazard to earth. Robotic explorations will be necessary to evaluate their potential. The final and ultimate destination is Mars. This planet would be able to offer us similar atmosphere, water, and soil. We hope that in the future humans will be able to live on this planet.

Space Travel Analysis
What would we have without space travel? The answer to that question is not much! Space travel has developed calculators, cell phones, GPS finders, laser surgery, satellite TV, and the list goes on and on. It has also helped create new jobs and businesses. Space travel does not just stop at great technology and new jobs and businesses, it has also begun to develop new ways of long term survival and medical research. Space travel has many benefits and has helped form the way we live today!

Medical research is very important, it helps us find ways to walk if we do not have a leg, it finds us a way to live if we have a failing heart, and it helps find a solution if we have blood issues! Without all of these things, we would see more people walking around with missing limbs and we would see more people passing away due to the lack medical technology. Thank goodness we do not have to worry about that, and it is all thanks to space travel and the people who are inspired enough to work day and night to create such amazing things. The Artificial Heart was inspired by technology that was used in space station fuel pumps and designed by heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey. The Artificial Limb was inspired by foam insulation, and blood research was inspired by constantly monitoring astronauts blood levels to make sure they were healthy when they were in space. Think about it, when you go to the doctor because you don’t feel good the doctor runs tests to find out what is wrong. They take your blood to make sure that the levels are alright, but without space travel that would probably not be possible. All you could do is hope that everything is ok and it would get better.

Technology on the other hand is something we use everyday! Whenever you are walking down the street almost everyone is either talking on a cell phone, texting, or listening to music. On the TV, there are continuous advertisements promoting new and different types & styles of cell phones and ipods. This again is thanks to space travel! All cell phones, regular phones, computers, etc. run through space stations, something that is already up in space to facilitate the space program. All of these things contribute to the life we have come to know today. Without technology where would we be? It would be harder to stay in touch with family and friends, we would go back to writing letters, and the times would be much simpler. Every day technology becomes more and more advanced because the space programs becomes more and more advanced.

Many people talk about the possibility of moving into space, but when is it going to happen? The answer to that is to be determined. NASA hopes to have a space station on the moon by 2024. Once NASA has completed that goal, it will move us closer to actually moving into space, if something should happen to earth. More and more we are starting to hear about the world ending, whether or not it will happen is another story. Space travel is pursuing ways that humans can live in space, if the world were to become unlivable. If the world becomes unlivable in 30 years we may just have a chance because of the plan NASA has to get us to Mars.

Many things influenced space travel after Apollo, but the major one was the space race between counties. All the countries were racing to see who could “move” into space first. For example, space stations were one of the things they raced to be first in. they also wanted to move onto another planet so now NASA is talking about moving to Mars and they have set up little tests to make that goal reachable.

In conclusion space travel has helped create most of the things we love and could not live without today. It is hard to think what life would be like without all of the technology we have. If we hope to continue to better our technology we have to support the space program and it will soon pay for itself with all of the amazing things it helps to create.

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