The Future Of Space Research And Exploration
Posted by Adriana Noton | Filed under Reference & Education
Space is the final frontier and something that both fascinates and terrifies everyone. We all know that we fear what we don’t understand, and for most people, understanding space is something that is more or less impossible. We will know the basics about the Big Bang and our own solar system and galaxy and the plethora of other galaxies around us but that is only scratching the surface of what is the most complicated subject on the planet. Space research is constantly being undertaken by different space agencies around the world and we are all eager to answer so many different questions about our existence as well as potential alien life in the universe.
Our interest in space has always been around, ever since we started to look up into the night sky and wonder what all of those magnificent sparks were. Over the last century the space race between the Russian’s and the American’s has sparked off much greater interest in what is out there are the first manned visits into space and then the moon gripped the entire world.
Yet these two steps were those that, whilst tricky, were possible simply due to the proximity of the moon to our own planet. They were astronomical leaps at the time but now we are all waiting on tenterhooks and calling for further leaps and advances into space. Our knowledge of what is around us is constantly being extended as our technological prowess grows but what many are looking for is the next big leap.
Getting a man into space and onto the moon was one thing, but the next step that people are eager to witness will be the first trip to Mars and then beyond. Currently being built is the Ares program which will aim to allow this to happen. The problem is that in order to visit planets and moons that are millions and millions or miles away we need to come up with a form of travel that allows us to travel at something like the speed of light.
Yet whether we get a man to Mars or not, people are still fascinated by the thoughts of visiting other planets. Yet how realistic is this? we all watch films where we are able to travel at light speeds but is this really realistic? well, the truth is that the idea of light speed is very much a science fiction creation and the idea to travelling at the speed of light goes against the laws of gravity and physics.
Well the truth is that the law of physics simply will not allow this to occur. Whilst it is impossible to know what tech advances will come up with in the future, right now we are very much limited to exploration that can be done within very close proximity to our own planet. Therefore, whilst Mars is a realistic possibility, beyond that we may never be able to extend our reach.
And even if light speeds were able to be done, then this is not enough to get us to the vast majority of the universe. Given that most planets and constellations are many many light years away we would still find ourselves in the same pickle as before.
What we need to hold on for is what wonders a trip to Mars will bring. But seeing as this is unlikely to occur before 2030, we will be waiting for quite some time yet!
People have been dreaming about the stars and engaging in space research for centuries now, along with animal research for learning more about the biology of creatures on this planet.
Tags: astronomy, Reference & Education, research, science, space
Astronomy For Teens.
Posted by Colin Jones | Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Astronomy is a very serious branch of science, although a lot of people get involved with it when they are very young. Astronomy is a thought-provoking hobby that can show children about the other sciences in general. Certain astronomical subjects inspire kids and movies like Star Wars and they only increase this interest.
The Earth’s closest neighbour is the moon. Its orbit around the Earth takes just over twenty-seven days to complete. Mankind has only ever set foot on the Earth and the moon. The gravity between the moon and Earth causes the tides. Its brightness in the night sky attracts many children to learn more about it and the subject of astronomy in general.
Let’s move on to the sun. Earth is quite far from the sun, although the distance actually fluctuates between about 91 million miles and about 94 million miles. The reason for this variance is because of Earth’s elliptical orbit. Life on Earth is only possible because of the sun, which is our source of important elements such as light and heat. A little-known fact is that the sun contains about 98% of the mass of the whole solar system! Just think about how small a person is compared to that.
The Earth is in the galaxy called the Milky Way. Like all other galaxies, it’s a very large collection of gas, dust, stars and planets. Most of the area in a galaxy is filled with nothing, just empty space. In other words, most of its volume, 3,000 light years high by 100,000 light years diameter, the size of our galaxy, is empty.
We’re situated somewhere in the neighbourhood of 30,000 light years from the central core of our galaxy. The nothingness is broken up by over 100 billion stars. In fact, the galaxy was named for the thick group of stars in the main portion of it.
It looks like a pool of liquid, which is why it was called the Milky Way. There are four types of galaxies: elliptical, lenticular, irregular and, like our Milky Way, spiral.
There is a great deal of information on astronomy on the Internet that is suitable for children: it ranges from dictionaries and encyclopaedic references to programs that show the orbits of the different planets, solar systems and objects right on the computer’s monitor! In fact, there’s more information out there than a child could ever get through.
If you are interested in astronomy, then please pop along to our website at: http://astronomy.the-real-way.com Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
Tags: Arts & Entertainment, astronomy, children, education, entertainment, environment, galaxy, Hobbies, How-to, other, outdoors, planets, sci-fi, science, stars
