Wonder Project Emma Schulmeister

Reasons for space travel other than exploration Question ^

Why I Chose This question The main reason humanity has pursued space travel isn’t for any scientific or practical reasons. Humans have always been intrigued by the unknown, and curiosity has always been a driving factor of space travel and innovation. However, there are other reasons why space travel is important, other than to quench our thirst for discovery. My question targets these reasons and this presentation explains them in greater detail. I believe that everyone is aware of the American flag on the moon and the blurry pictures and footage of far-off planets and anomalies in space. But space travel can be used for more than an outlet for those who wonder.

1. Public peace of mind The oldest boat recovered in the world is over 10 000 years old, and in 1903 Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first airplane. Humans have been findings ways to transcend their limits and go where they cannot walk since the beginning of time. Space is no different. Something about the knowledge that NASA and other space organisations are still looking to innovate comforts us. Space travel symbolises hope. The discovery of possibly inhabitable planets symbolises a possible second chance. Pyramids, museums, and cathedrals are all examples of traces humans have made on the earth. Humanity had a natural instinct to leave a mark in the world, last longer, and be remembered. And space is one place almost entirely untouched by people. Why else put a flag on the moon, if not to have it serve as proof

2. Colonisation If something were to happen to earth, our entire species would be wiped out. Scientists have theorized the end of the world through the climbing temperatures, a rising in sea level, nuclear effects, a comet collision, or the swallowing of earth from the sun. Some even see it as a way to protect a portion of our species in the case of a third world war. Scientists are currently looking to Mars for future possible colonization. Why? Mars and earth used to be very similar in atmosphere, climate, and biosphere, but over 4 million years Mars has become a desert. Another option for colonisation is the Moon However, Mars is richer in carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen, making it a more likely choice.

2. Colonisation There are some against colonisation as well. Some believe that by visiting mars in search of new life, we could possible destroy this new life in the process of doing so. When Elon Musk sent a Tesla into orbit with Mars, it was not completely sterilised, and there was a lot of concern about earth microbes being sent to Mars. If humans were to colonise to Mars, we wouldn’t know how our microorganisms would react with Mars’ microorganisms. They could destroy them like invasive species do. Also, researchers are interested in Mars because they want to discover and study new organisms. If humans colonised, Earth and Mars microorganisms would be impossible to distinguish.

3. Resources On a lighter note, space travel can also be used to preserve the planet. Asteroids contain some raw materials that we can use instead of from the earth. On the other hand, some are looking to the moon for helium-3, which it is rich in. It is used for nuclear fusion research, which as previously mentioned, could be a cause for the end of the world, and a reason to colonise to Mars.

4. Innovation A lot of different inventions only exist because of information learned through space travel. Space travel is very expensive, but many products and methods learned in space feed back into our economy and lifestyle. GPS, which we use in our cars to navigate, is a satellite in space. The first satellite was launched in 1978 or military use, but has been adjusted for commercial use since. The silver blankets we use in OE are space blankets, which were invented to store heat in space. Using weather satellites, we can now predict weather more accurately. It can see weather from further away, able to predict storms earlier. It was discovered by a normal satellite, when a few days after some fuzzy cloud were captured, a typhoon happened in Australia.

4. Innovation Ultraviolet is used in space. Because space is so big, light from other galaxies is “stretched”, making these galaxies hard to see. The only light we can still see is from the stars in these galaxies that emit ultraviolet light, and we use ultraviolet tools so we can look at them.

Thank You

Bibliography http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=42&cat=galaxies https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/268062-5-reasons-space-exploration-is- more-important-than-ever https://www.airspacemag.com/space/the-real-reasons-we-explore-space- 18816871/ https://www.zmescience.com/other/offbeat-other/five-reasons-exploring-space/ https://www.nps.gov/gis/gps/history.html