The Science behind Human Space Travel over Time

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With our never ending discovery of the universe, and the galaxies and planets within it, humans have had the urge to explore other worlds. The purpose of this exploration is to find planets similar to Earth, answering the question: Are we alone in the universe? In this essay, I will be comparing the space travel of today to space travel of the future and the science behind how these forms of travel work and how one form is more effective than the other. I will also be stating the pros and cons of each form of space travel.
The current method of space travel used by NASA is the space shuttle. NASA has since stopped the use of space shuttles using them only for mission to the International Space Station for maintenance. The space shuttle is a series of components, the orbiter, fuel tank, and rockets. The orbiter is the where the astronauts reside and control the entire shuttle. The orbiter also holds any equipment or space vehicle needed for research on a planet or on the ISS. The fuel tank and rockets or Solid Rocket Boosters are used during the initial launch into orbit. The physics behind the propulsion of the space shuttle hydrogen based firing. The fuel tank of a shuttle is full of pure liquid hydrogen and oxygen used to propel the orbiter into orbit through Earth’s atmosphere. Hydrogen provides the most thrust power to break Earth’s gravity. The orbiter then detaches from tank and boosters to later dock with the ISS or use its own rockets to travel through space for farther missions. Long missions with shuttles usually take months to reach the intended destination. (NASA)
Space shuttles aren’t the best form of travel. A space shuttle must use massive amounts of hydrogen and oxygen just to launch. During a launch the shuttle ...

... middle of paper ...

...re there propulsion program will be successful as NASA tries to develop a real warp drive for all their travels. We don’t know the future but we will always travel into it.

Works Cited

Bland, Eric. "Warp Drive Engine Would Travel Faster Than Light." DNews. N.p., 28 July 2008. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
Dunbar, Brian. "Space Shuttle." NASA. NASA, 28 July 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. .
Millis, Marc G. "Warp Drive and 'Star Trek': Physics of Future Space Travel (Op-Ed)." Space.com. 22 May 2013. 10 Nov. 2013 .
Thomas, Andy. “Space Shuttle.” Vast: Academic Video Library. A&E Television Networks, 1995. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

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