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hubble telescope optical telescope
essay about space exploration history
The history of space exploration
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Throughout history, mankind has always looked into venturing out into space. Whether it’s to explore, expand our living space, conduct experiments, or to figure out why we are here. Humans have always quested for exploring everything we can, and can’t see. There are books, movies, TV shows, etc. all covering what we could expect and what we could do. The question is, is it worth it? Does mankind need to venture off of Earth to unlock the secrets of the universe? Quite simply. Yes we do. Most people are familiar with Star Trek and the ongoing mission to explore strange new worlds, and yet not everyone knows that we have been accomplishing that for over 400 years. The first known telescope was patented in the Netherlands around 1608. This invention …show more content…
Launched in 1990 the Hubble would be our best bet at examining space unobstructed by atmosphere and the sun. "The HST was designed for launch and repair by shuttle astronauts. They could replace worn out equipment, add new, more advanced instruments, and put the satellite back in a higher orbit." (Stott 53) On it's initial debut, the images were blurry, but due to the way it was designed, the lenses were corrected and images containing galaxies, some 13.2 billion years away, in stunning clarity. 13.2 Billion. "The farthest-away galaxies are 13.2 billion light-years from Earth, meaning their light has taken 13.2 billion years to travel to Hubble's cameras." …show more content…
This was one of our highest space achievements, allowing the USA to win the Space Race, and allow humans to explore "another world." There were a total of six lunar landings between 1969 and 1972. With American citizens loosing interest in the moon landings, causing the budget to drop, another idea had come to light. While few people know of the US station Skylab, the Russian station Mir was well regarded as the superior Space Station. In use from 1986 to 2001 the MIR has docked with numerous shuttles and have hosted astronauts from around the world. In 1998 the ISS, International Space Station was launched into space. Seeing countless dockings and over 220 astronauts from around the world, the ISS has allowed for many experiments to take place in low orbit. As of March 2015, Russia and the US have started plans to replace the ISS with a newer
Some people call Space “The Final Frontier” but at one point all land west of the Mississippi was considered the frontier. Humans are curious people, sometimes too curious for our own good, but when we find something new we always explore and why would it be any different with space. When we explore the out reaches of space will no longer seem so small or insignificant. The idea of one day unlocking all of the Universe’s secrets, solely through our own advancements as a people, is what gives me that sense of
Just recently a major discovery was found with the help of a device known as The Hubble Telescope. This telescope has just recently found what many astronomers believe to be a black hole, After being focuses on a star orbiting empty space. Several pictures of various radiation fluctuations and other diverse types of readings that could be read from that area which the black hole is suspected to be in.
Throughout the ages, humans have been looking for a way to see into the past. In the year 1990, astronomers from NASA made this possible. Sending the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit with the space shuttle Discovery, NASA would make historical discoveries beyond their wildest dreams. Earlier this year they discovered a galaxy approximately 13 billion light years from Earth. Viewing the object at 750 million years after the big bang, scientists have looked into a time shortly after the "Dark Ages," a time before the first galaxies and quasars were formed. This incredible discovery was made with the aid of a cluster of galaxies known as Abell 2218. Being as massive as it is, Abell 2218 bends and amplifies any light that passes through it, working as a natural telescope ("Hubble"). The Hubble Space Telescope has become a great and valuable astronomic tool that NASA says is too costly and dangerous to keep running, a decision that may be premature.
Is it worth expanding into outer space, when we still have so many other concerns, such as power and material resources? If we focus more on aerospace development, other technological improvements may evolve, such as more energy efficient engines. Many household or common appliances we use today are by-products of aeronautic research. If funding for space research were increased, the rate of developing new applications would also increase. The question is, are we ready and willing to take this next step in technology?
At Goddard Space Center scientists have been working have been working on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) which is the most largest and complex project NASA has launched. Astronauts and the public have high expectations on this project. The telescope will be able to study when the earliest galaxies formed, the birth of stars and the formation of their solar systems, atmospheres of planets outside our solar system. Many things can go bad during the launch and unlike The Hubble Telescope the JWST will be too far away from Earth to fix if any difficulties happen. A goal is to see infrared light and we can’t see that on Earth because Earth’s atmosphere blocks it by the time it gets to Earth. Everything it needs to work correctly and collect
One of the things that aerospace engineers do is design the equipment used to explore the galaxy, such as the Hubble telescope. The Hubble telescope is a telescope that orbits the earth and captures images from galaxies away, and then sends these photos to NASA for research ("Hubble Essentials"). It is a groundbreaking invention that has made it easier for astronomers and scientists to understand space. Overall, the U.S Space Program benefits greatly from the research and technology that aerospace engineers create.
The funding of space travel would allow humans to open their eyes to the universe and quite literally allow us to reach for the stars. The universe is opening it hand and offering to show us all of it wonders and beauties and all we have to do it take it. We would be able to expand the human population to the stars; We would be able to see new worlds; We would finally be able to know if we truly are alone. Earth is a small base, a diving board, for us to use and plunge into the depths of the universe and visit galaxies that are millions of lightyears away.
The Milky way is a band of light that has millions of stars that are combined together and that spans 100,000 light years away. They say the Milky Way is about 14 billion years old. How they figured this out by measuring the ages of each star. They have found trace elements of hydrogen and helium so we know that the Milky Way was formed and early in the history. Another good way to find the age of the stars in the Milky Way is measuring thorium because it has a half-life of 14 billions years after 14 billion the thorium should decay in another element. The formation of the Milky way started by observations concerning chemical abundances in stars and gas using
The Hubble Telescope is the world’s first space-based optical telescope. The Hubble telescope received its name from American astronomer Dr. Edwin P. Hubble. Dr. Hubble confirmed an ever expanding universe which provided the basic foundation of the Big Bang theory. The first concept of the Hubble telescope came from Lyman Spitzer in 1946, who at that time was a professor and researcher at Yale University. In 1946, Professor Spitzer believed that Earth’s atmosphere blurs and distorts light, and a space orbited telescope would be able to overcome this problem.
We explore space to compare other planets with the earth and to study the sun, to explore the universe while finding out if intelligent life exists, for satellites to improve communications, weather forecasting, navigation, resource monitoring, and “to create a focal point for a new intellectual renaissance” (Ruzic). When considering space exploration, one can look at Columbus. If Columbus had never set out to find a better trade route but instead found the new world, the economy in Europe would have declined to the point where another country would have sent explorers out and that country would have discovered the new world.... ...
It has always been a part of human nature for a man or woman to be curious of their surroundings. First it was what is beyond those mountains; then what is beyond that ocean, then the sky, under the sea, and in the 50s, 60s, and 70s it was space and the moon. Our ancestors and the early civilizations were strongly focused on explorations and expansion. Even notable historical figures were primarily focused to either expand their empire for increased power and fame like Julius Caesar, or to explore new lands for rich booty or possible colonization like Eric the Red. We are doing nothing out of the ordinary by wanting to explore the vast expanse of space first hand. We are curious what is out there. Is there life? Is there a world out there that can sustain human life? As curious beings, we must at least try to answer these questions. If not for man taking personal initiative to answer the question left before him, we would not have a Columbus or Lewis and Clark. Manned space flights instead of robotic crews bring this human element of curiosity to the table.
After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union began what is most widely known as the “Space Race,” where the Soviet Union and the United States raced to see who could successfully launch and orbit a satellite, then eventually a manned spacecraft ( A Brief History). The Soviets launched into orbit before the United States. In 1957, Sputnik 1 was sent to space. Four years later, the Soviets put the first man into orbit with Vostok 1. The Russian flight lasted 108 minutes and reached an altitude of 202 miles (A Brief History). Nevertheless, the United States kept pace with the Soviet Union, putting the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit in 1958. NASA put the first American in space in 1961, and in 1962 the U.S. finally sent a man to orbit Earth (A Brief
Since the beginning of time, mankind has sought after learning about and exploring the universe. This yearning drove us to achieve such great things as the journey to the moon and the discovery of water on Mars. Nowadays, several people argue as to whether or not space exploration is worth the effort. I believe that it is humanity’s instinctual nature to pursue a better understanding of ourselves, and our universe. Further understanding of our universe will lead to the discovery of new technologies and ways to secure humanity’s survivability.
Space has always been a pivotal and utmost important subject for many years. In the past, scientists have made monumental advances in this field such as sending people into orbit and landing a man on the moon. Of course, this has only barely been explored and we still have a lot more to see of the ever-vast outer space. One of the most significant topics of all of science has only been touched and there’s still more to come.
In short, the quickest, most efficient way to explore space would be to manufacture and launch space robots into orbit. The create so many opportunities for scientific discoveries, creations of careers, and a few steps closer to finding out how the universe and everything in it came to be. So are we really just a group of children and the cosmos are a rough neighborhood? The only way to find out is through discovery, and I know I'm going to brave that rough neighborhood.