50 Years of no Progress

50 years of human space flight and we are still in low Earth orbit. On July 20^th 1969, Apollo astronauts made one small step for mankind on the moon. During this era, space technology matured at an unimaginable rate. Even more amazing, this moon landing occurred only 12 years after the first artificial satellite. This meant that rocket technology was sophisticated and advanced enough back then to launch objects and people into orbit and beyond. This was over 46 years ago. In fact, a 1969 report from the Space Task Group stated that “NASA has outlined plans that would include a manned Mars mission in 1981” (hq.nasa.gov). But where are we now? We are just six scientists strong orbiting 250 miles above Earth. What happened to our space program? Why is space travel still so expensive? When are we going to be able to vacation on the moon and visit Mars? The answer is never, at least if we continue approaching space travel the way we do today.

Our current rockets are expendable, meaning that once they launch, we don’t get them back. This is something most people don’t think about because rockets have always been that way. Imagine driving a car and throwing it away after one use. Imagine flying a plane and then throwing it away after one use. That would be absurd. No one would be traveling anywhere if that were the case. Unless we suddenly discover a new technology, chemical rockets are the only things that produce enough thrust to get to space. However, if rockets became reusable, space would be revolutionized. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, states that with reusable rockets, “more than a 100-fold improvement in the cost of space flight is achievable. This ratio is comparable to that of aircraft, which are, of course, highly reusable”. Imagine a rocket launch every few minutes or hours instead of the current every few weeks/months.

This has unimaginable applications ranging from business to leisure to science. Imagine the stunning views on your space vacation. Imagine being the first life a planet has seen. Imagine all the job opportunities on literally a world. Even on Earth, everyone would benefit from cheaper rockets. Any launch involving the government would use your tax dollars more efficiently. Any satellite meant for the public such as television, weather, and communication would be cheaper too. Even if building rockets were free, building it still takes weeks or months. The engines are complex and the rocket itself is the height of a tower. Having it been over 46 years since the Apollo moon landings, us still throwing away rockets is a major concern. If we don’t change now, humans will never make it to space.

August 27, 2015August 30, 2015 by russellphd Categories: TechnologyTags: exploration, progress, rocket science Leave a comment

How Lucky are We?

Everyday we face the possibility of illness, fatigue, injury, and even death. When we drive a car, fly on a plane, or even walk, we assume the risk that nothing will happen to us. We hope that a car doesn’t hit us, a tree doesn’t fall on us, our pilot doesn’t nosedive into the ground. Yet with all these possibilities, we all still live our lives by risking it. Why? Because that is how we live.

We may be extremely lucky to make it to the next day, but we are even more lucky that we are here in the first place. Of all the planets and exoplanets we know, only Earth is known to sustain life. Even more lucky, the conditions are just right for space travel. Our current rockets can only deliver about 10% of their liftoff weight into orbit and even less to deep space. This is because our chemical rockets are just barely powerful enough to do so. The gravity on our planet is just weak enough to allow us to send small payloads to orbit and just strong enough to prevent us from launching like and X-Fighter.

This implies that we live on a borderline planet. Borderline from being stuck on the ground and borderline from being in a galaxy far far away. But hasn’t mankind always crossed borders? The ancients crossed the Siberian-Alaskan ice bridge thousands of years ago when they had the opportunity. The Mayflower left Europe to start the America we know today. Now it is our turn to cross borders. We are extremely lucky that our Earth gives us a chance at space travel. If we risk our lives living the way we do anyways, the idea of space travel isn’t that far fetched. Given that we have risked their lives for thousands of years, it would be extremely shameful if we didn’t migrate into space. Maybe it’s destiny.

August 27, 2015August 28, 2015 by russellphd Categories: ExplorationTags: exploration, life, space Leave a comment

Staging: Diet for Rockets

If you have ever watched a rocket launch either in person or online, then you have witnessed rocket staging. Staging is the only way to get the payload into orbit. Why? Even though rockets can generate millions of pounds of thrust, they also weigh millions of pounds. Our current rockets aren’t powerful enough to make it to space in one piece. Staging is really just stacking rockets on top of each other. Once the first stage uses up all its fuel, it just becomes extra weight. And when a rocket is usually a few hundred feet tall, that is a lot of weight. After the first stage separates, it falls back to Earth and the second stage ignites. This is advantageous because the upper stages already start out at a few thousand miles per hour. That’s all it is. Staging is just simply a way to get rid of extra weight.

August 26, 2015August 28, 2015 by russellphd Categories: LearningTags: rocket science, rockets Leave a comment

The New World

Space is an integral part of human nature. Even thousands of years ago, our ancestors gazed into the heavens in awe. Some were dreamers and some were explorers. Over time, we learned the patterns of the sky. We learned the phases of the moon, cycle of the seasons, and the time in a year. This of course paved the way to where we are now. As knowledge of the sky grew, great seafaring explorers came about and navigated by the stars. Perhaps the most famous of these explorers was Christopher Columbus. He discovered the Americas and brought information about the West. Without the stars to guide him, the West may not be as it is today.

Space exploration sounds right out of science fiction right? But really the idea isn’t new, nor is it that crazy. For Columbus and every other early explorer, the idea was the same. They had no idea where or how far they were going. They traveled well beyond the realms of the naked eye. They faced the possibility of death, which many did, starvation, thirst, famine, and more. Ships could only hold a limited amount of supplies and once they ran out, they were out. Who knew how far they were from land? Help was thousands of miles away by sailboat. Space exploration is similar, maybe even safer. With our naked eyes, we can see our destinations of the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and other objects. We also have ways of communicating astronomical distances and have the tools necessary to survive. Our mathematics are advanced enough to calculate exactly how much supplies we need with room to spare. So why not? Why don’t we start the second revolution for the New World?

August 25, 2015August 26, 2015 by russellphd Categories: Exploration Leave a comment