World View: Life, Science, and the Ramblings of a Mad Man

Back to Space—Finally

Who doesn’t remember the Columbia Disaster? A google news search for “Columbia disaster” comes up with 7,940 hits. The shuttle, which was on its 113th mission, disintegrated over Texas when reentering the atmosphere. All seven crew members died. The main purpose of the mission was to do experiments on microgravity. It took us almost two years and six months for us to fly back into space, but yesterday, at 10:39 a.m. EDT, Discovery took off.

But what’s the point? Why waste so much money, risk so many lives, and put in so much effort? Why do we even have a NASA? The answer, my friends, is science—human curiosity causes us to ask questions and look for their answers—science. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), we’ll eventually have to get off this rock and go somewhere else. We also need to find new ways to power our machines; oil won’t last forever, and given the current amount of research being done in renewable energy sources, we wont be able to produce enough when oil does run out. And how awesome would it be to find life on other planets? Using space, we can unlock the mysteries of the universe, find a new home (hell, maybe even new homes or vacation destinations), help the standard of life by developing new sources of power, and possibly even meet friends (although even finding a bug on a different planet would be cool as hell).

That is why the launching of Discovery is so exciting to me. The ISS’ (International Space Station) construction has been greatly delayed with the decommissioning of US shuttles. Hopefully, now that at least Discovery will be making flights, things will begin to pick up again for the Space Station. Experiments will be able to pick up pace again with new equipment and supplies being shipped more regularly. As more of these experiments take place, we’ll learn more about ourselves and our relatives (all living creatures on earth) through biological research and about the universe and how to manipulate and use it through work in physics. A development in gravity could help devise theories which could eventually lead to new technologies such as safe and efficient cold fusion. The push to stay in space could also help in the development of a more efficient way of traveling through space. Imagine a solar ship covered in solar panels and entirely filled with a battery or several batteries that flies close to the sun absorbing energy and brings it back to earth.

Eventually space exploration will get to a point where we will be able to travel between stars. With this ability, we will be able to begin colonies of researchers, explorers, merchants, and some day maybe even permanent settlements for human beings. It is believed that in 4 or 5 billion years our sun will enter its red giant phase—more than likely engulfing earth. Having an advanced space-faring civilization by then (so we have a few years to work on it… why procrastinate though?) will ensure the survival of at least most of the human species (assuming we haven’t blown ourselves up before then). Even an off-world resort would be awesome. Unfortunately that would require faster-than-light travel, which, if it is possible, it is still very far from our abilities.

So, why is this kid so riled up about a stupid launch? Because this kid knows that even these seemingly small steps (getting the shuttles updated and prepared for space again) are steps in a general direction which will hopefully have a very nice end, whether that be a world in which hunger and disease no longer afflict humans or in which we are no longer dependant on fossil fuels for energy, or when we can turn to a second colony to go for vacation. Whether we want to admit it or not, our future is in space. Until next time, remember to keep your eyes pointed toward the stars.