In many ways, space is the final frontier for mankind. And as technology progresses exponentially every year, we are getting closer than ever to blur the line between sci-fi and reality. To transcend into a race that eventually moves on to different planets and explores space in search of all kinds of answers—from medicinal research to discovering new fuel sources and from the mysteries of ‘worm-holes’ to owning estates.
Let’s explore the top reasons we want to explore space.
Fuel
The concept of celestial mining is becoming a topic of interest for the U.S., Russia, and China—with other countries following suit and preparing to explore celestial bodies for fuel. Resource exploration for the purposes of commerce and personal benefit is what this exploration will be all about, just like the world’s foremost territorial quests. Scientists have revealed that there might be more than 700 billion billion USD worth of resources (from minerals to gases and more) in our asteroid belt.
Survival
Elon Musk has said that eventually, we might have to move to Mars if we want to keep the race alive. Considering that earth’s resources are finite, it does sound like a possibility that we might have to move on. And while Elon’s idea of nuking Mars to increase its temperature and slowly building domes and terraforming the planet is an interesting aspect, scientists are constantly on the lookout for planets similar to Earth as well.
Read more: Hive mars - A human settlement on Mars
Research
Be it the time-and-space bending mysteries of ”worm-holes”, the light-absorbing capabilities of the black hole, or the existence of black matter—scientists are fascinated with space and they won’t rest till these mysteries are solved. And considering their nature, who knows what miracles might lie ahead once they are solved!
However, whether we look at celestial bodies as a source for fuel via commercial mining, as our next home, or as beholders of mysteries, the fact remains—what are the challenges we will have to solve to actually start exploring space aggressively?
Read more: ECSEC has landed on Earth
The logistics
Traveling to space is no easy task—and it is quite expensive. The latest revolutionary development in this sector has been done by Space X, with its reusable rockets that will save enterprises millions of dollars per trip.
If you want to know more about reusable rockets read the article about Pangea Aerospace
Equipment
Creating the kind of equipment that can survive long space trips is no easy task—and there is no room for error. Robots will be at the frontlines of space exploration, and they will need to be created strategically to survive harsh environments for long durations, operating with a fuel source that can support long-term operations.
Additionally, space ships and rockets would have to be much durable to endure multiple trips to space, If you are someone who wants to contribute in the future to this, we would recommend tarting with our space architecture course.
The distance
A trip to a nearby celestial object can take years. At this rate, exploration will become a matter of decades—and it isn’t good enough. There are talks about building new fuel sources and engines that can travel as fast as at the speed of light.
Erik Lentz, an American physicist wrote a research paper recently, proposing a theory for making lightspeed travel possible. If we are able to achieve this feat in the coming decades, the distance problem won’t be such a big issue anymore.
Exploring space has always been a dream of mankind—and now, we are closer than ever. However, there are still a few things that come to mind that make us question our readiness for exploration.
The first thing is the possibility of tensions among nations for the dominion of space. Politics always has a way to come between research and wage wars. The second thing, however, is something even more intriguing—what if we are not alone in the Universe?
So, the question remains—we might be equipped for space exploration. But are we really ready to act as one and embrace the possibilities?
