THE STUDY OF SPACE
Space research is carried out in space. It involves the study of materials and the universe, as well as Earth science. Space missions can be carried out using rockets and other instruments that are deployed from Earth. Aside from astronomers, space exploration or studies is also carried out by other scientists.
This discipline is usually done through the use of robotic space probes.
Astronomers consider space exploration as one of their main sources of information. This discipline is mainly carried out due to the development of rockets during the mid-19th century. The first large-scale rocket program was carried out in the 1920s by Max Valier and Fritz von Opel of the Opel-RAK.
The program, which was known as the Rocket Rumble, exhibited the various capabilities of space vehicles. Its success inspired other individuals to explore space. Some of the main reasons why people want to explore space are to improve scientific research and develop military capabilities.
The beginning of the space race between the US and the Soviet Union was marked by the launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite on October 4, 1957. The event was followed by the Apollo 11 mission's historic landing on the Moon in 1969.
The Soviet space program also achieved various firsts, such as the first human spaceflight in 1957, the first spacewalk in 1961, and the launch of the Salyut 1 station in 1971.
After the first two decades of space exploration, the focus shifted to renewable hardware such as the Space Shuttle. The US' plans for exploring space remained in flux following the completion of the ISS in 2011. The Constellation program, which was the Bush Administration's attempt to return to the Moon, was criticized by an expert panel in 2009.
After reviewing the program, the Obama Administration proposed in 2010 that the US develop human spaceflight capabilities that can operate beyond Earth's orbit.
In the 2000s, China, Russia, Japan, and the European Union started planning for human spaceflights to the Moon and Mars. These nations have also advocated sending people to the Red Planet during the 21st century. From the 1990s, private organizations started promoting space tourism.
Then, in the mid-to-late 2000s, public space exploration started. Students from various universities started forming groups to promote space exploration.
HISTORY OF SPACE STUDY
The first telescope was created in 1608 by Hans Lippershey in Netherlands,by a Dutch eyeglass maker. It was launched on December 7, 1968.
There are around 100 billion stars and over a hundred billion planets in the Milky Way Galaxy. Around 2 trillion galaxies are also in the observable universe. The most distant object from Earth is 32 billion light years away called GN-z11.
The first human-made soft landing on another cosmic body was carried out on February 3, 1966. Four years later, the first crewed mission to land on the Moon was carried out by Apollo 11. Luna 10 is known as the first artificial satellite of the moon. There have been a total of six human spaceflights to the Moon since 1969.
The last human landing on the lunar surface was carried out in 1972. The first satellite to orbit the Sun was launched on December 16, 1965. Other planets that were first flown by that year include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Mars. In 2015, the New Horizons mission made a successful pass over the dwarf planet Pluto and its orbiting companion, the California-based space agency Dawn.
Data collected by the two satellites enabled researchers to study the Solar System's other planets.
In 1975, the Venera 9 spacecraft sent back images of Venus after exploring the planet's surface. In 1971, the Mars 3 mission became the first to land on the Martian surface and collect data for over 20 seconds. Over the following decades, various long-duration surface missions were carried out on the other planets.
VARIOUS FIELDS IN SPACE STUDY
Space research involves the study of Earth observations, ranging from the observation of satellites to the study of space plasmas. It is carried out in various fields of science, such as atmospheric sciences, astronomy, and space physics. Earth observation satellites are also used to carry out studies related to atmospheric sciences.
1 Astronomy which is the use of telescopes and other detector not that isn't hindered when looking through the atmosphere.
2 The study of objects in the planet system known as Planetology
3 Life sciences which deals with the human physiology by making use of space radiation and weightlessness and also growing plants in the space
4 The use of the space as a laboratory to study fundamental physics
5 Geodesy
6 Space physics and
7 Earth observations
BENEFITS OF SPACE STUDY
Various organizations and individuals involved in the space industry have been studying the various benefits of space exploration. Some of these include the creation of new technologies, improved knowledge of space, and the origin of the universe.
According to NASA, many of the technologies that have been developed through space exploration have been incorporated into everyday life. These include the development of space-based products and systems for medicine, transportation, and safety.
Health care experiments conducted in space help us understand the effects of climate change and protect the environment.
Using space technology, we can improve our lives by making better decisions and saving money on products and services NASA said the space exploration has saved about 444,000 lives and has provided jobs for about 14,000 people bringing a revenue of $5 billion and also a reduction in cost of about $6.2.
Enhancing our safety on Earth through satellite data can also help predict natural disasters.
In 1967, NASA launched the Biosatellite program to study the effects of space on various biological life forms. The objective of the program was to study how space affected different organisms, such as plants and mice. Current space research focuses on three different subjects: Space Biology, Space Physiology, and Space Medicine.
For instance, the Canadian Space Agency's experiments on the human body help researchers understand how astronauts' blood vessels change after they're launched. Also, by studying the effects of space on the human body, they can learn how to improve their biomineralization.
In conclusion, there are some critism about the study of the space and alotbof draw backs but the team behind the space studies aren't relenting and are making progress day by day , In 2016, Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri Milner, and Stephen Hawking established the organization Breakthrough Starshot to develop a fleet of light-sail vessels to take on the Alpha Centauri star system.
An article published in Nature magazine proposed the use of asteroids as a way to get astronauts to Mars. Aside from being able to safely explore the cosmic objects, a successful mission would require carrying out a comprehensive survey of the asteroids to find other suitable sites for habitation.
Further, developing robotic vehicles and equipment to allow astronauts to explore the asteroids would help minimize radiation exposure.
REFERENCES
https://www.britannica.com/science/space-exploration/Science-in-space
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_space_science
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/science-and-theories/
https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/jobs/careers-in-space/scientist.asp
Hi @tough, don't you find amazing how fast science done in space has evolved since the first object launched to orbit? There are only 64 years between the launch of sputnik and the launch of James Webb Space Telescope, and in between, there have been probes landing in the Moon, Mars, Venus, some asteroids, probes escaping the Solar System as we know it, several space stations, two of them still working. So, we cannot but expect Space sciences and sciences done from space to keep growing.
I have been noticed your writing about climate change.I think climate change will have a negative impact on our world. for example, some countries may become uninhabitable due to increased humidity and high average temperatures, and warming will negatively affect crop yields. Furthermore, Without a healthy, diverse and balanced environment, there would not be many species and, in fact, we would not exist humans, since we depend on it. Here lies our pressure as a species that causes the most impact, because pollution and the environment are the responsibility of the human being. It is essential to reduce our impact not only so that the human species continues to exist, a basic condition that we sometimes forget, but also so that the rest of the species can live in a dignified and safe way.