Why Space Exploration Matters? Part II

#Space #Travel has done a lot of advancements in #technology and has led to the creation of many new industries and scientific fields. The investments made by space agencies in space #exploration have led to many technological advancements, including the development of new materials, electronics, hardware, and software. These advancements have had wide-ranging applications beyond space travel, including in the fields of #medicine, #transportation, and #communication. In addition to the technological advancements, space exploration has significant #economic impacts, as well. For example, the growth of the space industry has led to the creation of new jobs and industries, such as #satellite #manufacturing and #launch #services, space #tourism, and space #mining. Space exploration has also resulted in many spin-off technologies and products, such as GPS technology and insulation materials. Overall, space travel has been a driver of #innovation and economic #growth, with many of the advancements and benefits extending beyond the field of space exploration itself.?

With the rise of private participation in the sector, space tourism kicked off in a major way in 2021. #SpaceX, #BlueOrigin, and #VirginGalactic led the charge with cheaper — but still very expensive — rides. Last year it was reported that SpaceX had increased the price of all its launches by about 8%, due to all-time high fuel prices and global #inflation. The cost for a Falcon 9 launch was set at $67 million, up from $62 million, and the Falcon Heavy mission was at $97 million, up from $90 million. Small satellites launched under the #rideshare program also saw increases, with prices rising to $1.1 million for payloads of 200 kilograms and additional costs of $5,500 per kilogram. But still, SpaceX is 10X cheaper with a 30X lower cost overrun than #NASA in lifting payload into space.?

What makes space travel expensive??

The short and straightforward answer for why space tourism is so expensive is that it's cost to build a rocket.?

Building a rocket requires a great amount of specialized technology, complex engineering, design, and testing, as well as the manufacture and assembly of many complex and specialized components. Carrying a human crew requires capsules that sustain human life in space are also expensive to build. In that case, training, workforce, launching, and the operations of a mission can add up quickly to the bill, which ultimately affects the price of a ticket to space.?

The cost of fueling a rocket for a space mission is also significant. The exact cost of fuel for a space mission depends on a number of factors, including the distance to be traveled, the payload to be carried, and the type of fuel used.?

The #Tsiolkovsky rocket equation (#rocketequation) shows that the amount of #propellant (rocket fuel) needed to put something into #orbit is 10 to 25 times of its mass. NASA even calls it the "Tyranny of the Rocket Equation." The more weight and mass added to a spacecraft, the more fuel it needs, and therefore the heavier it gets, the more fuel required; this creates an incremental cycle, driving these costs up. So long as we rely on #chemical-based #propulsion to lift us into orbit, space travel will never be cheap.?

Rocket fuels can be solid, liquid, or gas. SpaceX reveals that it uses liquid oxygen and rocket-grade #KeroseneRP-1 propellant to power the #Merlin engines that boost a #Falcon9 into space. But even these fuel costs don't amount to a significant fraction of what it costs to build a rocket.?

To partly get around this, all rocket designs use multiple stages (#multiplestages) which are discarded during flight to orbit, reducing the dead weight as you soar. #Reusable rockets do bring down costs too, but they are not 100% reusable.?

The cost of building a rocket is considered being the most expensive aspect of a space mission, as it is a significant investment that requires years of #research and #development, as well as specialized manufacturing and assembly facilities.?

In conclusion, the rocket equation, cost of fuels, cost of construction and #operations, and issues like global inflation are why space tourism tickets are so expensive.

Let's take a look at what we got here.?

#Worldwide #warming (#worldwidewarming) is real, and we are truly facing huge issues on #Earth, and they are getting worse. We have begun to #overpopulate, #pollute lands and oceans, and #poison our #planet Earth faster than we can clean it up. Extreme #drought, #heatwaves, people who still live in #poverty, and people who can't access #education; are the general #crises our #humankind faces, but do all people on this planet really focus on that? While it is true that many people around the world are aware of the serious issues facing our planet, not everyone #prioritizes addressing them. Some people have their own selfish interests and agendas that take priority to their personal gains over #environmental concerns, which makes the current situation much worse.?

The field of technology related to #astronomy is known for how much it costs a lot of money, which can be used to tone down international #starvation, for instance. Some argue that these resources could be better directed toward addressing pressing global issues such as poverty and #hunger.?

However, it is important to recognize that scientific research and technological advancement have the potential to contribute to a better #future for all people. The #innovations and #discoveries made in astronomy and space exploration can have important practical applications in fields such as medicine, #energy, and transportation. Additionally, scientific research can #inspire and #motivate people, #promote education and #curiosity, and help us better understand our place in the #universe.?

If we think we can ignore the problem for as long as we can; the more we are kidding ourselves. Taking #action would be the best #act we can ever take before we are to find out that we are in #trouble and begin desperately searching for a new home.

Let's take a look at what we have been doing.?

If we look at the thousands of years of #civilization, it shows us that only those #communities that struggled to find #solutions, at the limits of their technical capacities, are the only times, that civilization has gotten advanced. Giant steps in our civilization have followed each major advance in man's #observation of the planet and the #sky. When humans first started conquering other human #establishments across caves, trees, #forests, #mountains, rivers, and then the oceans they have done #enormous discoveries, time after time, which have #influenced and, in some cases, shifted the very course of our own #history.?

From the early #nomadic tribes who migrated across continents to the seafaring #explorers who navigated the oceans, humans have constantly sought to expand their #horizons and discover new lands. These discoveries have had a significant impact on human history, often leading to scientific and technological advancements, such as the development of #navigation and shipbuilding, which allowed for more efficient and successful exploration of new lands.?

Previous Explorers and Discoveries?

Leif Eriksson (#LeifEriksson) (c. 970 – c. 1020), a #Norse #explorer and is believed to have been the first European to have sailed from #Greenland to what is now Newfoundland, #Canada, around the year 1000 AD, which was 500 years nearly before Christopher Columbus. Leif Eriksson's exploration of North America is significant because it challenges the commonly-held belief that Columbus was the first European to reach the continent. It also highlights the achievements of Norse exploration and colonization in the early #MiddleAges, but there is very less information to find about it.?

When Columbus (#ChristopherColumbus) (c. 1451 – 1506) was funded by Spain's #KingFerdinand and #QueenIsabella for his #voyage to the West, at some point Queen Isabella even suggested selling the jewels to assemble the resources necessary to finance the trip to the West of Columbus and his crew. Her prime motives may well have been the glory that she expected to result for Spain but the great results of this historical venture were not only the spice and gold it brought to Spanish, nor the vast territorial acquisitions that gave Spain #dominion over the first global #empire in history.?

Leonardo da Vinci (#LeonardodaVinci) (c. 1452 – 1519) did design and sketched various flying machines which were #visionary but it was not until that a sustained, controlled flight was achieved by the #Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, flying the #WrightFlyer on December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their historic flight marked the beginning of #modern #aviation and revolutionized transportation and travel. Since then, many other individuals have had the opportunity to fly for the first time, either as pilots or passengers. The #experience of flying for the first time was memorable and now has become a commonplace experience for many people today.?

Far more important, these explorations and discoveries marked the beginning of a major new cycle in the #development of the world, enhancing man's mastery of the seas and sky, and bringing the entire human race together in one great community. Now, the impact of space exploration, the most momentous of all human adventures, promises to usher in a new stage of civilization. The potential of the universe for #mankind is as completely unknown for today as was the #NewWorld before Columbus leave from Spain. It is not too much to contemplate that similar experiences may be awaiting us if we #venture into the #unknown #space.?

As Margaret Mead, the American anthropologist, has stated: "Once you raise the question that another land than this earth is possible to live on, that other places are possible places to found colonies, or that there may be other living creatures somewhere, you have changed the whole place of man in the universe. You've altered everything. This involves a considerable reduction of human arrogance and a tremendous magnification of human possibilities."?

Is it really necessary to pull the plug and spend it elsewhere??

We are a smart species, so we can tackle several problems at once. On one hand, space exploration can be a massive waste of money, time, and effort and So on the other hand,?there are people who should be helped. It would be the better option if they applied to our planet rather than space. Human needs should always come first. But with the increase in population, if we are to prepare for our future in such a way that we can meet the needs of all of us, the only solution we have would also be space exploration.?

Space exploration not only helps us to find new #habitable planets but also contributes to the advancement of technology that can benefit various industries that already exist on our planet. The research and development done for space exploration have led to the creation of new materials and processes that have improved our lives on Earth. For example, #Velcro was invented in the 1940s and never got famous, but beamed up when NASA chose to use it during the #Apollo missions to anchor equipment in zero #gravity situations which are now used in many clothing items, bags, and so forth. Teflon, the substance that the surfaces of #nonstick pans were also used by NASA in rocket ship heat shields and in spacesuits. But it was actually invented in 1938 by a scientist called Roy Plunkett, who was working for the #DuPont Chemical Company.?

Space exploration helps us understand our planet and study other planets, like #Venus and #Mars. It teaches us how special our planet is and provides sensible examples of how planetary climates can change. Technologies that are essential and vital to detect hurricanes and dangerous storm systems have saved lives and helped us prepare for the worst by allowing us to identify potential hazards before they strike.?

If space technology is improved and developed, we will be able to move out of this planet in large numbers and live safely, which will solve our problems like our environment, resources, energy problems, and population. Space exploration supports innovation and economic #prosperity by encouraging the advancement of science and technology, as well as motivating the global scientific and technological workforce, therefore expanding the sphere of human economic activity. Let's say the world is at its end and we have to get off the Earth so we can have rocket ships and we can live on the moon. If we continue space exploration, we may find a planet with #water or #oxygen and many inventions and products developed from the knowledge gained from space exploration. We may need space more than we think.?

We all know that the more we know about our own galaxy and the universe, the safer we can make out of this planet. Plus, if we're not careful, one of the planets out there which has more advanced civilization than us or any other #celestial objects surpassing our #solarsystem will have a lot of problems sooner than we think. Where would we be if Earth became #uninhabitable and we, having cut our space program, were unable to find a substitute? So that's why it's very important to grow and develop new innovations to create a more sustainable and efficient world by focusing more on space exploration.?

Overall, in my opinion, I think that space exploration is not a waste of money and we should know and think about how to solve our problems on Earth by using the benefits of space exploration. Recent missions to the #Moon have confirmed that the Moon has important resources that are key to building a permanent human presence and kick-starting new industries of space mining. Corporations are starting to see the #dollar signs and are investing in exploratory operations to further explore what's out there and the feasibility of extracting it. Then there's the original motivation for going to the moon: #geopolitical rights. Emerging superpowers like #China have made no secret of their desire to land their #taikonauts on the moon. The number of landers and rovers they send to the lunar surface will begin to increase in preparation for a show of strength and power over the next decade. NASA also plans to send their #astronauts back to the moon before the end of the decade.?

Just as the Age of Earth Exploration (#AgeofEarthExploration) completely transformed the #political #matrix around the world, the Age of Space (#AgeofSpace) will radically change the current global political #constellation and #institutions. The first decade of the space age has given us a foretaste of what is in store for the future.?The nation-state, already out of step with human needs in the latter half of the #twentiethcentury, cannot be expected to effectively serve man's goals in space. That is why the private sector is now setting foot on space exploration.?

But no one knows where this new adventure in space will ultimately take us, what new worlds and horizons will be discovered and will be opened when man colonizes the moon or other planets, or what advantages may be found in manufacturing equipment and devices will have in the vacuum of outer space.?