Space Travel essay
It is known that today our society can be rightfully called a technologically developed society because the impact of new technologies can be found in all spheres of human activity. Most people on our planet are sure that it is impossible to live happily without technology. Moreover, it is necessary to conclude that today all people on our planet are much dependent on technology. Technological advancement can lead to serious changes in the life of humanity as due to new technologies it is possible to find the way out in space and meet other civilizations. The digital nation is closely connected with digital world where the main role is given to computers and new information technologies.
The famous novel Feed (2002) written by Matthew Tobin Anderson in the genre of science fiction attracts the readers’ attentions due to its dark satire towards the role of information technology in the life of humanity. The writer manages to show the problems of futuristic world where technology has made it possible to merge together both telecommunications and electronics into the human mind. In this novel, the main characters have the so-called feeds which are implanted directly into their brains in such a way that the young people experience life as a continuous flow of disconnected information and relentless marketing propositions. Besides, due to the internalized Internet, their feeds even allow them to chat. It means that they have no need to speak with each other, while reading is considered to be an obsolete activity for them.
The major themes revealed by the author in the novel Feed are closely connected with feelings and emotions of the main characters, as well as with new technological innovations. One of the themes is the theme of boredom. The main characters often complain of boredom that fills their lives. For example, Titus states that not only the moon and Mars are boring, but everything around is boring. They consider that the feed in their heads is also boring. However, when Titus meets Violet, who does not adhere to the norms of their society, Titus becomes less bored. Violet “fights the feed” and tries to think radically (Anderson 32). The other important theme in the novel is the theme of technology’s impact on the lives of human beings. This theme discusses the role of technology in the life of human society. The author of the novel proves the fact that people are becoming dependent on technology. He wants to warn the readers if they do not learn to do things for themselves, the planet we live in will become an empty computerized planet where human beings will not be able to think for themselves.
In the book Future Hype: The Myths of Technology Change written by Bob Seidensticker, the author is excited about the future possibilities of technology. He states that the most difficult projections related to the future involve the impact of technology on the daily lives of human beings (Seidensticker 25). However, the author comes to the conclusion that “the popular view of technological change is wrong and the future won’t be so shocking” (Seidensticker 1).
Space travel requires technological innovations and could completely change the lives of human beings on our planet, making our digital nation more advanced and more open for communication with other civilizations. Effective communication is vital for effective outer space exploration.
The major goal of this project is to respond to the course’s driving question: What is the digital nation and do you want to live there? In addition, it is necessary to explore the area of space travel and the role of technology in this sphere of human activity and in the life of human beings.
SPACE TRAVEL TODAY
It is found that at the beginning of the 21st century, new technologies are evolving at an explosive rate. However, today space travel is considered to be a fairy tale or a dream for the ordinary people. Bob Seidensticker, the author of the book Future Hype: The Myths of Technology Change states that “the use of nuclear power has peaked, and manned space exploration halted after we reached the moon” (Seidensticker 4). It means that technological change that is evolving at an explosive rate in our society today has no sufficient positive results in relation to space exploration to allow all people on our planet to have regular space travels. It is known that in 1961, the Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first human being who travelled in outer space in a mission which lasted just 1 hour and 48 minutes. According to the statistics, since that time “more than 450 people have entered space” (Gifford 8). Moreover, it is known that practically all space missions have been made in the spacecrafts orbiting Earth.
As space travel is related to both human spaceflight and robotic space missions, it is necessary to refer to the history of space exploration which states that “space travel began in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik I into orbit around Earth” (Space Travel). Besides, there were several American moon landings from 1969 to 1972 which marked the peak in space exploration. Since that time, humans have successfully traveled only to the outer space near Earth. However, humans have built and even lived on the space stations orbiting our planet. It is found that specially designed robotic spacecraft have already visited all the planets which are included in our solar system as well as the Moon (Space Travel).
In addition, it is found that “within a matter of a few years, humans will begin to travel on a fairly regular basis to the frontiers of space” (Malfitano). Although today the commercial space travel is still in the state of infancy, but it is possible that soon it will become one of the frequent events that many people will take part and others will observe with great interest. Besides, the commercial space industry is going to be of great importance to the further expansion of the human race on Earth. As our population is constantly increasing, it is possible to conclude that “new habitats and colonies will eventually be needed to ensure the planet’s ecosystem does not collapse” (Malfitano). In other words the expansion of human civilization will require new resources to fuel economies. In this case, space could provide substantial supplies of all types of resources and minerals.
Although today any ordinary man or woman see a space travel as a fantastic dream, which is accessible only to the wealthy people, in several years space travel will be much cheaper (Another Giant Leap the Final Frontier of Space Travel has been Opened up to Everyone).
FUTURE SPACE TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES
Today special attention is paid to the future space travel technologies which will give an opportunity to travel in the outer space rather frequently. It is known that one of the leading space companies Astrium “has been awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop key technologies for new re-ignitable upper stages for new launchers” (Astrium Selected To Develop Key Technologies For Future Space Missions). Under this contract, which worth about euros 20 million the company will be involved in development of advanced technologies to travel outer space.
The other well-known space company NASA also tried to do everything possible to provide safe space travels for everyone who has a desire to enter the outer space. The company’s mission is “to reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind” (NASA, Official Site). It is found that in 2011, NASA “picked up a deep space atomic clock, a giant solar sail design and a novel laser communications system as the must-have technologies to help future space exploration” (Wall). This space company has a great deal of other effective engineering projects for the future space missions. It is possible to predict that technology is headed to the deeper space exploration with wider opportunity to space travel. The chief technologist of NASA, Bobby Brawn states that new technology will improve space communications and navigation, as well as the in-space propulsion capabilities which will enable future space travel (Wall).
SPACE TOURISM OF THE FUTURE
It is not a secret that millions of people have a dream to experience space travel. There are many different reasons what attracts them in the outer space. It is found that “since the early days of science fiction in the 1930s, the image of space flight as adventurous and exciting has played a growing role in popular culture” (Future of Commercial Space Travel – Predictions, Companies, Technologies). Besides, those people who have already visited space state that it provides a highly enjoyable life experience. It is so pleasant to have the view of earth and the stars and have the fascinating experience of living in the so called zero gravity. That is why space tourism will be one of the highly-valued industries in the nearest future. Some experts have already determined the commercial potential of the future space travel.
It is possible that future space travel would be performed by the large and powerful space crafts which would have large propulsion systems. These space crafts would also have huge reactors that would be powered by something nuclear and very powerful in order to make such space craft go with the speed of light during the fast travel. Besides, space travel could give an opportunity to visit other planets which have other life forms. Space travel would be great as people would be ready to communicate with representatives of other planets. Of course, the experience of being in the outer space would be overwhelming for everyone.
In order to have an opportunity to travel economically to space and for the successful development of space tourism industry, it is necessary to build powerful reusable launch vehicles or space crafts. As today the commercial transport industries use reusable vehicles, including aircrafts, trains, buses and etc., the commercial space transport industry should also have high quality space crafts. Today it is one of the main goals of scientists and engineers to develop low-cost reusable space crafts which could have all the necessary characteristics for safe space travel (Space Vehicles). According to the research, there are a lot of interesting projects developed by the scientists, engineers and programmers from all over the world. Current projects include the following models: a powerful passenger-carrying reusable SSTO VTOL rocket which is designed by the Japanese Rocket Society to carry about 50 passengers to the distance of 200 km Earth orbit, BSC Spaceship which is a VTHL suborbital space tourism vehicle proposed and designed by the Benson Space Company, the Cosmopolis XXI which is a powerful two-stage suborbital spacecraft proposed and designed by the Cosmopolis XXI Suborbital Corporation and Myasishchev Design Bureau for suborbital space tourism industry, and a dozen of other interesting engineering projects of powerful space crafts (Space Vehicles).
It is not a secret that those space planes that can take off like an airplane and can fly to orbit have always been a dream of a number of space engineers and science fiction writers. Today expendable SSTO VTOL space vehicles are rather simple to design but reusable SSTO HTOL vehicles are not technologically possible today (Space Vehicles).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it is necessary to say that space travel could give humanity a lot of benefits that is why it is not a dream, and space travel could be reality in the nearest future. Although today it is impossible to make regular space travels, but the scientists, programmers and engineers do their best to reach the proper stage in technological development of our society where humans could live in an advanced world with advanced technology which could get our space crafts to the places that we have never heard of before in minutes. Of course, these advancements could help our planet to survive when we eventually run of all our natural resources. Our nation is going to be a digital nation that lives in the digital world. The new innovation technologies that will be developed by our contemporaries in the nearest future can completely change the life on our planet and provide the way into space.
