Man's capability to leave the Earth offers many new prospects for the future. Asteroid mining, building launch facilities on the moon, tourism, and space manufacturing are only some of the many opportunities that are being considered.
There are many considerations which must be examined . For example, in the case of manufacturing in space, economic factors include : can it be done on Earth ? If so, which offers a most cost effective venue?; environmental factors include both contamination of the plant and whatever pollutants may be generated in the manufacturing process. Let us examine some of the advantages and disadvantages of this enterprise.
Advantages
Why manufacture in space? Space offers many unique conditions which alter the properties of materials manufactured. The two major conditions are lack of gravity and lack of contamination
Microgravity
Gravity causes properties familiar to all of us. One of which is the separation of fluids according to density. With the removal of gravity, alloys and mixtures of materials with properties incompatible here on Earth can be made, resulting in alloys or mixtures which have completely different properties than those found on earth. Other processes which benefit from a lack of gravity include welding, crystal growth, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, non linear optic and photonic materials.
Contamination:
Space is a sterile environment. Sensitive production such as semi conductors and biotech would benefit from not having to use expensive equipment to filter out harmful dust which is so prevalent on the Earth.
Disadvantages
The major disadvantage to manufacturing in space is cost. Currently all space bound vehicles are government owned. Fee structures for sending materials into space are exorbitant and delivery service is both uncertain and infrequent.
It costs approximately $20,000.00 per pound to send materials into space currently. Although NASA's goal is to get the cost down to $100.00 per pound it is not likely that this will happen any time soon.
Scheduling also remains a problem. The current shuttle fleet flies about 7 missions per year compared to a goal of once per week.
The debate about space exploration has been raging on for decades, people on both sides of the issue vehemently arguing their point of view. However despite the possible risk space exploration has the potential to change humanity for the better, and doing so is well worth the risk. This essay will elaborate some of the plethora of ways that space exploration could benefit mankind.
...groups. Zirconium is also a is a refractory metal [8], allowing protection from solar wind. This element is inexpensive compared to titanium. This factor makes up for the money that it would take to send a Canadarm made of zirconium to space. Since the atomic mass of zirconium is about 91.22 [13], it is about 1.91 times the atomic mass of titanium. This means that the zirconium made Canadarm would be about 1.91 times greater than the titanium made Canadarm, resulting in a total weight of about 783.1 kg. Since the shipping cost to space is about $22,000 per kg [9], the zirconium Canadarm will cost $17,228,200. This seems almost double the price but actually zirconium ends up cheaper than the titanium made Canadarm. This is mainly because purchasing titanium is about five times the cost of zirconium, so with a zirconium made Canadarm, the savings end up greater than
Are we allotting enough funding for aerospace research? At the present time, significant progress in aerospace research will not be made for a long time. It is sad that we don’t place more urgency on such an important field. Yes, there is still research being conducted in the field; however, limited funding prevents significant advancement. The benefits derived from aerospace research should provide enough justification for investing more money in this area. The benefits are not exclusive to sp...
With its crippling debt and increasing rates of unemployment, America needs job opportunity. Commercialized space exploration companies will create countless jobs in maintenance, research, construction, and various other fields essential to space programs already. From working in the mission control centers that would be necessary to run the newly formed operations to creating shuttles and other spacecraft, jobs of great variety would become available. These new companies or new branches of pre-existing companies, with the future in mind, will open the door for eager-minded American citizens across the nation. Roles will be filled, and people will aid in bettering their nation’s future. Further developing mankind’s knowledge of the solar system and nearby galaxies should be the platfor...
the unknown regions of space is a necessary endeavor to secure a future for mankind. Many
Beyond the economic and political aspects space exploration is a great catalyst for technological development and of course scientific discovery. If we neg...
Humans have dreamed of leaving the earth and traveling space for many years, and up to this day they have taken many steps in the right direction. Yet, with every new frontier they approach, new problems loom over the horizon. All problems involved with space exploration may not directly involve space itself. Many of those problems surface right here on Earth. Some of the easier issues have been resolved, such as escaping the forces of gravity to reach outer space. More of these problems are far more arduous and the solutions need more time to be worked out properly. In “The Coming Schism” by James E. and Alcestis R. Oberg, humans have already begun colonizing space, yet there are still new problems arising. Major problems such as financing, communication and culture conflicts are important in the journey to space, because they all have the potential to disrupt progress.
US Launch capabilities includes more cargo and lift capacities, crew launch vehicles, launch and mission systems, and engineering and integration systems. In additio...
Space is unimaginably vast, and the problems keeping humans from mastering the exploration of and colonization of space is equally daunting. Impressive advances have been made within the past century, and dedicated efforts to make equally impressive strides in the next hundred years are in place. Space research will not yield resutls overnight, but the information obtained along the way will have a positive impact throughout the scientific community and the world's population in turn. With a goal of extraplanetary habitation, humans can prepare protective measures for neutralizing danger and managing resources underwater, in space, and on land, domestic and alien. The scientific and cultural unity required to reach this goal has the potential to propel mankind as a species and farther through the stars than ever imagined.
It is within man’s blood and nature to explore, and space is our next New World. Man’s first achievement in space travel was the launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957. For the next decades, space travel was roaring like a rocket, fueled by man’s desire to explore, man’s desire for knowledge, and man’s desire to beat his enemies. However, these impulses have died out as the well of government funding has been diverted to wars and debts, and the interest of the American people has been diverted to wars and debts. Amidst all these issues it is debated as to whether or not space travel is worth the money and the attention of scientists, particularly since humanity faces so many issues on earth currently. However, because of the past inventions, current services, and future benefits, space travel is indeed worth the money and attention of governments and people. It is within our hands to control man’s advancement, and space travel is the next venue to do so.
“Why should we go into space? What is the justification for spending all the effort and money on getting a few lumps of moon rocks? Aren’t there better causes here on Earth?”- Stephen Hawking. Space is the everlasting, ever growing place where we happen to reside. From the beginning of intelligent life here on Earth, we have wanted to learn. Whether it be simply constructing a fire, or solving the riddles that still puzzle us to this day. Many of the questions we still have are pertaining to space. Are we alone? How did we get here? Where are we going? Many answers can come from exploring space. Getting a “few lumps of moon rock” can answer so many questions we asked ourselves for millennia. Can we truly belong in a place we do not know about? Space exploration will better us now and in the future for several reasons.
With issues like climate change, and population overgrowth, our species faces the risks of major extinction (4). Climate change has been a man-made problem of recent years that threatens our planet. It will take huge mitigations from current and future societies to even come close to reversing climate change. Not only that, but our population has been growing at an extremely alarming speed. At our current rate, our species may not be able to survive for much longer. This is where space exploration comes in. With the recent discovery of water on mars, and the finding of Kepler-78b, it is possible that mankind can prolong our existence. The possibility of interstellar travel seems to be an option or even a necessity if we wish to continue living. Populating another planet could help solve the population crisis and climate change simultaneously. Though, it seems we are not at that point currently, which is exactly why it is imperative that the government increase funding for space exploration. Now, even if inter-galactic habitation isn’t possible, space research helps us protect ourselves from asteroids and other threats, and could also be used to find other planetary resources. Nonetheless, it seems space research is of utmost significance if we want to continue living as a
Space exploration can lead to the possibility to find useful resources throughout the galaxy for human gain. Many severe problems on earth could be solved through space exploration such as world hunger, overpopulation, and dwindling fuel sources. Things such as fuel could be harvested from planets for power generation and propulsion technology, and land to cultivate for growing food, as well as land for building living areas for the growing population. These potential resources...
To prepare for the conversation, research was conducted to make sure there was enough information about the future of space flight; and that people of different ages and educational and professional backgrounds could engage in the topic. Two weeks before the conversation, twelve possible participants were emailed and asked to participate in the conversation. One and a half weeks before the conversation, an agenda, research resources, and the promise of food and drinks were emailed to the accepting participants.
NASA, during the Space Race, was responsible for creating complex software, computer networks, and communications equipment. All of these technologies are beneficial to our everydays lives today. The healthcare industry has benefited because technologies invented during the Space Race have paved the way for Magnetic Resonance Imaging technology and CAT Scans. Simple, everyday items like cordless tools and smoke detectors were invented and manufactured by NASA for the first time to aid astronauts. Robotic technologies and controllers were needed to assist with spacecraft functions. The Space Race also is responsible for great innovations like water filters. Because of the lack of water in space, the astronauts needed a way to safely recycle their waste water.