Space exploration is a never-ending field of study. There are many different types of exploration. From human to robotic, the goals are pretty much the same. To understand what lies beyond earth is the main goal of space exploration. You may ask yourself, “With so many problems on Earth, should the United States continue to fund space exploration?” My answer to this is yes.
Space exploration began on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched a satellite into space. The satellite’s name was Sputnik 1, a 184 pound, beach ball size satellite. On January 31, 1968 the first American satellite was launched into Space. (National Geographic, Space Exploration, 2007.) Its name was Explorer 1, and it was the second attempt of the United States to get a satellite into orbit. The next big step came in Space exploration when NASA was signed into law on July 29, 1958.
With that, the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union had begun. The next task for both sides was to send a human into space. The Soviet Union was the first to do so. This was obtained by sending Yuri Gagarin into space on April 12, 1961. The us followed suit by sending Alan Shepard into space for a 15 minute suborbital flight on May 5, 1961. July 20, 1969, marked a time in Space history that all will remember. This is the day that the United States put the first man on the moon. It was broadcasted heavily and the astronauts were deemed international heroes.
With that President Kennedy had reached the goal he had promised America. From then on the space race was essentially over. There were minor advancements, like the space station, and other manned orbital launches. The US even worked with Russia to create a rendezvous point in space. The next major step taken was a landing on Mars by Viking 1, a US born rover.
Space exploration, as a subject matured and evolved over the time. More countries stepped in the race with US and Russia to evaluate and explore the vastness of space. The competition intensified and developing countries like China and India also started investing heavily in their space programs. With state of the art technologies, innovations, extensive research and development, space exploration benefitted human beings a lot.
After all of the space explorations, innovations came to light. Technology that was used to maintain space exploration was finding uses in more commercial places. The satellites that were used to monitor the space launches and used to take pictures of space were finding other uses. It was noted that we could use them to track natural disasters from outer space. NASA observatory was where all of this began to take place. The year was 1998 and it was discovered that you could see fires from space.
Later it was noted that you could see cloud formations. We found that aside from on spectating the cloud formations, maybe we could help warn people in the event of inclement weather. With this, meteorologists became a more profound profession. This was an unexpected advancement in technology for this field. And although it may still have been conceived of and put into place further down the line, it still was made complete by space exploration. The first meteorological instrument that was sent into space was aboard the satellite Vanguard 2, launched February 17, 1959. (Vaughan, W. W. (ed.), 1982)
Shortly afterwards, the first satellite dedicated to meteorology was launched on April 1, 1960. Over its 79-days life span, it sent back over 23,000 images and a new advancement in forecasting was born. Meteorologists study the imagery and radar that these satellites send to earth and they explain to us what it all means. Without this vital piece of equipment, there would be many tragedies from weather that we could not predict. Not only has does this technology save us from the dangerous and lethal natural disasters like Tsunami, Floods etc., advances in meteorology has made weather forecast a reality which has improved agriculture immensely, specially in areas which are over dependent on rains for irrigation. This helps in the prediction of crop yields, pest infestation and also facilitates the examination of area under cultivation. The technology has been a boon for farmers across the globe and has helped improve crop production immensely. Moreover, satellites have helped us locate and explore minerals, fossil fuels and metals buried deep under the earth. Many of such reserves would have been exploited and unexplored today had it not been for the satellite technology.
Aside from helping us with natural aspects, space exploration also helped with commercial flight. Before NASA intervened, there was no equipment in the cockpit of a plane that would show a mountain or other hazardous terrain. There only of knowing was through sight out of the plane’s front windshield. To improve aviation safety by enhancing pilots’ situational awareness even in poor visibility, NASA began exploring the possibilities of synthetic vision. This effectively placed a simulated outlook of what the pilots would see if they were to look out their front glass. This advancement mitigated the risk of flying into an unseen obstacle.
Advances made through the programs related to space exploration have been numerous. Right from aviation to medical facilities, innovations made through such programs have influenced every field in positive manner.
Invention of GPS (Global Positioning System) has only been possible due to space exploration. The system is made available due to a group of satellites which have necessary been one of the most significant and important product of space study. Not only has GPS become an important day-to-day use application for people across the globe, it also facilities safe and secure transportation of commodities like fuels, food grains etc., between countries and continents. Global Positioning System impacts almost every mode of transportation these days and hence its significance cannot be stressed enough.
The field of communication has benefitted hugely due to space exploration. All major forms of modern day communication are based upon technologies invented as the part of space exploration. Right from mobile communication to much more advanced satellite phones and satellite internet (which also facilitates various forms of communications) have been a boon for mankind. These innovations have connected our world in a much more efficient and effective manner and have helped it become truly global.
Medical benefits of space exploration have been huge and capable of defending every single penny spent in space programs till date. Not only have the inventions in medical industry saved millions of lives; they have also improved the quality of life and life expectancy of people. Many of the metals, which are used in the manufacturing of space crafts, have found use in the medical field. Most of these metals are safely and successfully used in health care field. One of the most common examples is that of an alloy called Nitinol, which is used in the manufacturing of braces.
A number of instruments have been developed, courtesy space exploration, in the medical which have made treatments easier medical fraternity and less painful for the patients. These instruments have also made the surgeries much more accurate and precise and has drastically improved the number of successful surgeries. Doctors for their patients have used some miniature electronic components, which were originally developed for the space program, as electronic pain-control devices and have found them to be very effective and useful.
Invention of Infrared thermometers has been an important invention in medical fields, which has been enabled due to NASA’s expertise in infrared technology. The technology that is meant to measure the amount of infrared radiations emitted by stars and planets is used in this thermometer to measure the energy emitted from the tympanic membrane to the ear canal. The invention has simplified the process and has made it much more safer by reducing the chances of cross infection. (CNN, 2009)
The technology that is widely used for detection of breast cancer in its nascent stages is a by-product of space exploration. Based on the star-mapping technology, this practice serves as an alternative to detection by surgery and hence saves time, money and efforts. The technique or technology has helped in millions of breast cancer patients recovering fast and hence has been life saving.
Dialysis pumps and filters, an invention that is widely used to save many lives everyday, is based on a phenomenon that is used by astronauts to purify and recycle water when in outer space. This has indeed been a boon for patients suffering from kidney diseases. Not only have the patients suffering from kidney diseases benefitted from technologies and equipment devised due to space exploration, it has also helped millions of heart patients around the globe too. VDA heart pump has been an alternative to heart transplant for quite sometime now. It was developed due to analysis of fluid flow through the space shuttle’s main engine, when it was found that the way flood flows through the heart is similar to fluid flow in rocket engines. The device has been life saving for many heart patients who have been suffering with complex heart problems.
Technologies like remote monitoring system and robotic arms, have not only made supervision of patients possible from a distance but have also enabled surgeries in various remote locations. The state of the art technologies not only keeps the doctor or medical personnel updated about the condition and vital parameters of the patient real time basis but also empower the doctor to conduct the surgeries even if the patient is millions of kilometers apart.
These medical inventions clearly indicate that space exploration has helped mankind in numerous ways. The technologies have empowered the medical fraternity in tackling and facing some very complicated and complex situations and has helped saved many lives. These technologies and equipment have been invented solely due to aspects related to space exploration and hence the importance of space exploration in medical field has been paramount.
‘Throughout its 40-year history, our space program has set goals that required innovation and
technology yet to be developed, and the results have been astonishing. Miniaturized integrated
circuits, satellite technology, GPS navigation systems, bone-density measurements, miniaturized
heart pumps and other technologies derived from NASA research and development have saved
and improved our lives. New spin-offs include water filtration systems that turn wastewater into
drinkable water, wireless light switches, remediation solutions for sites contaminated by
chemicals, the development of Liquid metal and sensors on reconnaissance robots used in
Afghanistan and Iraq to deal with improvised explosive devices. The list goes on and on.’ (Hall, 2009).
The above statement by a ranking member of the House Science and Technology Committee clearly list and encompass, in a very succinct and presentable manner, some of the what space exploration has bestowed us with. The advancements through space exploration have improved and eased our lives considerably and continue to provide us a safer and better earth to live on.
But quite recently, voices against the spending on space exploration have gained momentum with more and more people asking for spending cuts in the face of current economic situation prevailing in the world. Though at the outset, the demand may look genuine or logical, it is totally flawed. Even though these cuts might spare us some extra dollars, it will deprive us of the advancements and technologies, which have come up as a part of space exploration.
The future of space exploration really depends on the amount of funding it receives and the biggest challenges it faces are politics and people. Space exploration has always been a capital-intensive endeavor, which requires vast resources and research and hence calls for two-faced support both from governments and people. Though many people grumble and whine about the money spent on space exploration, they fail to look at the larger picture.
Space exploration has been behind numerous spin off technologies and human beings have benefitted from them in every walk of life. As Jessa puts it in simple words, ‘The simple fact is that every new step we make in space exploration advances our knowledge of not just the Universe but the new height human innovation and technology can achieve.’ (2009)
Our leaders and public perception can make or break the space exploration criteria. The Space Shuttle program was ended in 2011 due to budget cuts. That brought about an end to a 30-year program which brought us exponential gains. With one step backwards we took two steps forward. In 2012 NASA’s Mars Rover made a successful landing on the red planet and has been sending unbelievable images back to Earth.
In my opinion though, American Government should restart space exploration programs, as the returns from such programs have been much more than the money spent on them. Discouraging space exploration would mean taking a step back on technology front, which we in 21st century can neither want, nor afford.
References
Congressional Digest, NASA History: Milestones in Space Exploration and Science, Congressional Digest. Retrieved December 10, 2012 from Ashford Online Library.
Joseph N Pelton, The New Age of Space Business. Retrieved December 8, 2012 from Ashford Online Library.
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/spinoffs.html. Retrieved from NASA.gov on December 10, 2012
http://www.nsbri.org/DISCOVERIES-FOR-SPACE-and-EARTH/Benefits-to-Life-on-Earth/. Retrieved December 10, 2012 from nsbri.org
Steven Freeland, Tanja Masson-Zwaan, Between Heaven and Earth: The legal challenges of Space Exploration. Retrieved from Ashford Online Library on December 10, 2012.
Jessa Tega (2009), Benefits of Space Exploration. universetoday.com. Retrieved January
14.2013, from http://www.universetoday.com/37079/benefits-of-space-
exploration/
Hall Ralph (2009), Numerous benefits of Space Exploration. thehill.com. Retrieved January
14.2013, from http://thehill.com/special-reports/technology-july-2009/50201-
numerous-benefits-of-space-exploration
CNN (2009), How space exploration has impacted our health. Cnn.com/health. Retrieved
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/14/space.spinoff.medicine/index.html
