As you read this, the Mars Science laboratory (MSL) is en-route to Mars caring a new rover called Curiosity. The MSL was launched on November 26th, 2011 and is expected to reach Mars on August 6th, 2012. The primary mission of MSL is to study the habitability of Mars. Curiosity will attempt to determine if Mars will or has ever supported life by drilling into the ground and examining the chemical composition of the dirt. Based on what is found, NASA officials will be able to determine what the Mars environment was like a long time ago. Curiosity is much larger than any previous rovers and will be able to travel over several miles. It is design to stay in operation for one Martian year which is 687 Earth days. MSL is part to of NASA's Mar Exploration Program which includes all the past Mars rover missions most of which are still active.
This new mission is an example of one of the many things that NASA is working on right now that will bring humanity one step closer to landing a human on Mars. This mission could potentially prove to the world that Mars is the idea planet to colonize or a lifeless wasteland that would be more trouble than it is worth. If it is proven that there use to be life on Mars, or Mars once had an environment that could have supported life, then that would make Mars that much more desirable. If it is shown that Mars has never been in that state, that just means tells us that the materials needed to make it habitable will need to be imported for outside sources.Overall, this mission is important for the preparation of landing a human on Mars. Before we can start sending people over there, we need to learn as much as possible about the planet so that the people sent there are ready for almost anything.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
What will Take us there?
With the Space Shuttles retired, NASA has moved on to the next big thing, Orion. Orion is being built by Lockheed Martin for NASA. This means that Lockheed Martin will build it while NASA oversees its construct to be sure it is being built right. NASA often contracts companies from the private sector to do the constructing of their projects. Orion will be able to take up to four astronauts to the moon, Mars, or a nearby asteroid.Orion refers to the capsule that will be used to transport humans into space and beyond. The actual rocket that will propel Orion into space will vary due to specific needs of the mission at hand. If it is going to Mars, as apposed to the moon, it will need a more powerful rocket.
Orion is currently in the development process. It has successfully completed its Abort Launch System test, its simulated splash landing test, its post-landing test,and its parachute test. A Delta IV Heavy will be used to send Orion into low-Earth orbit in 2014 for Orion's Exploration Flight Test 1. This will be Orion's first time in space, and this will test Orion's heat shield for re-entry.Orion will reach the highest altitude ever achieved since the Apollo program in order to simulate the re-entry from deep space. Orion's first manned mission is expected to take place by 2020 or later.
Once in space, Orion has its own thrusters to propel itself forward, so it is not entirely dependent on separate rockets. One of the features that makes Orion special is it Launch Abort System. If something goes critically wrong during launch then thrusters on the tip of the Orion capsule will ignite and send the capsule safely away from a rocket that could potentially explode. This system could save many crews or none at all, but it is definitely worth it to prevent another Challenger accident.
In addition to Orion, it is likely that a private company will develop, or be close to completion of a vehicle that will be capable of sending humans into space. Although, the range of that vehicle will probably not meet that of Orion. Also, other countries will likely be ready to send their own people into space. Countries like China and India are working diligently to catch up to the capabilities of countries that routinely participate in space activities like USA and Japan.
Orion is currently in the development process. It has successfully completed its Abort Launch System test, its simulated splash landing test, its post-landing test,and its parachute test. A Delta IV Heavy will be used to send Orion into low-Earth orbit in 2014 for Orion's Exploration Flight Test 1. This will be Orion's first time in space, and this will test Orion's heat shield for re-entry.Orion will reach the highest altitude ever achieved since the Apollo program in order to simulate the re-entry from deep space. Orion's first manned mission is expected to take place by 2020 or later.
Once in space, Orion has its own thrusters to propel itself forward, so it is not entirely dependent on separate rockets. One of the features that makes Orion special is it Launch Abort System. If something goes critically wrong during launch then thrusters on the tip of the Orion capsule will ignite and send the capsule safely away from a rocket that could potentially explode. This system could save many crews or none at all, but it is definitely worth it to prevent another Challenger accident.
In addition to Orion, it is likely that a private company will develop, or be close to completion of a vehicle that will be capable of sending humans into space. Although, the range of that vehicle will probably not meet that of Orion. Also, other countries will likely be ready to send their own people into space. Countries like China and India are working diligently to catch up to the capabilities of countries that routinely participate in space activities like USA and Japan.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Where to First?
The best place to go to first would be the moon. The moon is the closest thing to the Earth and would only take about threes days to travel there. It would be relatively easy to send supplies to the moon compared to Mars or any other planet. Communication delays would be small and any communication or navigation systems could easily use the existing satellites orbiting the Earth.
But whats so special about the moon? It seems like a big empty desert so why should we try to colonize it.? The moon has something called Helium-3. Helium-3 three is a non-radioactive isotope of Helium. The importance of Helium-3 is that it is used for recherche in nuclear fusion, a proses that holds much potential for meeting the power demand of Earth, but has yet to be commercialized in an efficient way. Helium-3 is rare on Earth, but the moon is thought to have it in a great abundance of it. If we could extract Helium-3 to Earth and use it for testing, a nuclear fusion reactor could be developed that would be efficient enough to become commercialized. Helium-3 would be cheaper than current oil prices and it is estimated that the amount of Helium-3 could meet the power demand of Earth for over 1,000 years. The problem with fusion reactors, as of now, is that they have yet be commercialized because most nuclear research has been devoted to nuclear fission. Fission is the breakdown of the nucleus while fusion is the build up of a nucleus, both cause large amount of energy to be released.
In addition to mining for Helium-3, the moon could act as a refueling station for future space craft. The gravity of the moon is 1/6 that of Earth and it lacks the atmosphere that Earth has. This would make launching a rocket off the moon a lot easier than launching form Earth. Future Spacecraft could launch from Eartha and then go to the moon to be refueled. Form there, the craft could go just about anywhere with its almost full tank of gas. Spacecrafts could also come to the moon form deep space to refueled and then go back out to space.
Next the far side of the moon is in radio silence which would be perfect for a telescope. The telescope would not be interfered by an atmosphere, radio waves, unwanted light, or any other the other inconveniences telescopes experience on Earth. Also, the far side of the moon is no the dark side of the moon as many people may be lead to believe. Both sides receive about the same amount of light, but the far side never faces the Earth no matter what.
Even thought the moon offers these incentives, how would a human live on the moon? The moon may seem to be waterless, but it actuarial has a large amount of water ice on it polar caps that can be melted. In addition, materials found on the surface of the moon could be collected and refined to make building material for shelters. Oxygen could be created from chemical reactions form oxidized materials in the moon soil, regolith. This process could also be used to make water if the ice on the caps becomes too inconvenient. Until nuclear fusion using Helium-3 is perfected, a colony could be powered by solar farms. There are regions on the moon that receive sunlight 24/7 so there would be no worry of a power outage.
But whats so special about the moon? It seems like a big empty desert so why should we try to colonize it.? The moon has something called Helium-3. Helium-3 three is a non-radioactive isotope of Helium. The importance of Helium-3 is that it is used for recherche in nuclear fusion, a proses that holds much potential for meeting the power demand of Earth, but has yet to be commercialized in an efficient way. Helium-3 is rare on Earth, but the moon is thought to have it in a great abundance of it. If we could extract Helium-3 to Earth and use it for testing, a nuclear fusion reactor could be developed that would be efficient enough to become commercialized. Helium-3 would be cheaper than current oil prices and it is estimated that the amount of Helium-3 could meet the power demand of Earth for over 1,000 years. The problem with fusion reactors, as of now, is that they have yet be commercialized because most nuclear research has been devoted to nuclear fission. Fission is the breakdown of the nucleus while fusion is the build up of a nucleus, both cause large amount of energy to be released.
In addition to mining for Helium-3, the moon could act as a refueling station for future space craft. The gravity of the moon is 1/6 that of Earth and it lacks the atmosphere that Earth has. This would make launching a rocket off the moon a lot easier than launching form Earth. Future Spacecraft could launch from Eartha and then go to the moon to be refueled. Form there, the craft could go just about anywhere with its almost full tank of gas. Spacecrafts could also come to the moon form deep space to refueled and then go back out to space.
Next the far side of the moon is in radio silence which would be perfect for a telescope. The telescope would not be interfered by an atmosphere, radio waves, unwanted light, or any other the other inconveniences telescopes experience on Earth. Also, the far side of the moon is no the dark side of the moon as many people may be lead to believe. Both sides receive about the same amount of light, but the far side never faces the Earth no matter what.
Even thought the moon offers these incentives, how would a human live on the moon? The moon may seem to be waterless, but it actuarial has a large amount of water ice on it polar caps that can be melted. In addition, materials found on the surface of the moon could be collected and refined to make building material for shelters. Oxygen could be created from chemical reactions form oxidized materials in the moon soil, regolith. This process could also be used to make water if the ice on the caps becomes too inconvenient. Until nuclear fusion using Helium-3 is perfected, a colony could be powered by solar farms. There are regions on the moon that receive sunlight 24/7 so there would be no worry of a power outage.
Friday, March 9, 2012
NASA Lives!!!
For those of you who are unaware, NASA is still alive and kicking. NASA was NOT shut down like many people may have been lead to believe. A lot of the NASA shut down talk was just media hype, or just an all out misunderstanding. They simply retired their old Space Shuttle fleet which was in use for over 30 years. In our current technology environment, something as simple as a cell phone can become obsolete in a mere year or two. So just imagine how outdated some of the technology was on the 30 year old Space Shuttle.
Although NASA routinely updated the Shuttles to ensure safety, some of the fundamental components of the Shuttles were not ready for some of NASA's up and coming missions. The shuttle was great for sending something into orbit because it had a relatively large space for satellites. When it finish its mission, the Shuttle would just turn around and glide back to Earth. That was ideal at the time, but the Shuttle is too bulky and underpowered to reach a location like Mars with ease. The glider shape of the Shuttles has no significant use when landing on the Moon or Mars where the atmosphere is different or almost nonexistent. So to take on manned missions to the Moon, Mars and nearby asteroids, NASA has begun production of their new Crew Exploration Vehicle called Orion. Orion is not an idea or blueprint to be done some time in he future; Orion is currently in production. Orion is being built as you read this blog and should be ready for its first launch into space in two or three years at most.
In the meantime, some may wonder what is going to happen to the ISS if the Shuttles are retired. This is where the private sector comes in. Companies like Space X will soon inherit some of the less glorious tasks that the Shuttle use to do, like resupplying the ISS. This privatization of space is a great leap for human exploration because it will make space profitable. These companies will begin making money off of government and private contracts to go into space, complete a job, and return safely. The benefit of having space companies focus on profit is that profit causes maximum efficiency. The private companies will work their tales off to make going into space cost effective. This will lead to more people going into space and a direct need for off-Earth colonies. This is compared the current airliner industry. Building plans use to be the job of the government. Once the government encouraged the private sector to take over, they made flying efficient and safe which lead to where we are now.
With companies like Space X taking care of the petty tasks like resupplying, NASA can focus on breaking the barriers of space and go where no man has gone before.
Although NASA routinely updated the Shuttles to ensure safety, some of the fundamental components of the Shuttles were not ready for some of NASA's up and coming missions. The shuttle was great for sending something into orbit because it had a relatively large space for satellites. When it finish its mission, the Shuttle would just turn around and glide back to Earth. That was ideal at the time, but the Shuttle is too bulky and underpowered to reach a location like Mars with ease. The glider shape of the Shuttles has no significant use when landing on the Moon or Mars where the atmosphere is different or almost nonexistent. So to take on manned missions to the Moon, Mars and nearby asteroids, NASA has begun production of their new Crew Exploration Vehicle called Orion. Orion is not an idea or blueprint to be done some time in he future; Orion is currently in production. Orion is being built as you read this blog and should be ready for its first launch into space in two or three years at most.
In the meantime, some may wonder what is going to happen to the ISS if the Shuttles are retired. This is where the private sector comes in. Companies like Space X will soon inherit some of the less glorious tasks that the Shuttle use to do, like resupplying the ISS. This privatization of space is a great leap for human exploration because it will make space profitable. These companies will begin making money off of government and private contracts to go into space, complete a job, and return safely. The benefit of having space companies focus on profit is that profit causes maximum efficiency. The private companies will work their tales off to make going into space cost effective. This will lead to more people going into space and a direct need for off-Earth colonies. This is compared the current airliner industry. Building plans use to be the job of the government. Once the government encouraged the private sector to take over, they made flying efficient and safe which lead to where we are now.
With companies like Space X taking care of the petty tasks like resupplying, NASA can focus on breaking the barriers of space and go where no man has gone before.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Benefites of a colony
Colonizing a new planet would open a vast amount of opportunities for humanity. First of all, the migration from Earth to the colony would allow the unemployed and poor to migrate in search of a job. This immigration would stimulate an infrastructural growth on the planet. While back on Earth, unemployment rates would go down and cause a decrease in the crime rate. Population densities would decrease which will help keep pollution and waste down. The Earth is over crowded as it is, so having another planet to go to will help spread out the population.
Another benefit is raw materials. The new planet will likely have a treasure trove of raw materials that could be used for manufacturing products. The price of these products will be low due to the abundance of material. This will help stimulate the economy on both planets Materials not found on Earth could also be harvested which will allows the production of expensive products that would otherwise not made in mass quantities without the colony. In addition to raw materials we do know of, there could be materials that no human has ever seen before. This new material could have special properties that would allow for super efficient solar panels or a new source to use for nuclear power.
Lastly, another apparent benefit of a colony is that it would be a learning experience on how to manipulate an environment to the point where humans can live in it. What is learned here could be applied elsewhere and open new potential colonies.
In addition to the benefits I have stated, there is likely to be a dozen more advantages to colonizing other planets that are not overly obvious.
Another benefit is raw materials. The new planet will likely have a treasure trove of raw materials that could be used for manufacturing products. The price of these products will be low due to the abundance of material. This will help stimulate the economy on both planets Materials not found on Earth could also be harvested which will allows the production of expensive products that would otherwise not made in mass quantities without the colony. In addition to raw materials we do know of, there could be materials that no human has ever seen before. This new material could have special properties that would allow for super efficient solar panels or a new source to use for nuclear power.
Lastly, another apparent benefit of a colony is that it would be a learning experience on how to manipulate an environment to the point where humans can live in it. What is learned here could be applied elsewhere and open new potential colonies.
In addition to the benefits I have stated, there is likely to be a dozen more advantages to colonizing other planets that are not overly obvious.
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