The article “Future of space exploration
could see humans on Mars, alien planets” clearly points out that space travel should
remain a human endeavor. Manned space exploration is an essential part of exploring
the planets, moons, and eventually new galaxies.
Although it may seem easier to send robots in space and let them perform the
exploration, proving us with the information about the new space destinations,
human curiosity and spirit of exploration is the main driving force for going
into space.
Personally,
I have always wanted to be an Astronaut. Being born in Russia at the peak of
the space race, I was watching on television the cosmonauts getting ready to
launch from the Baikonur space port. I dreamed that one day I would be one of
those people in thespace suits, launching to the space station. It was
motivating to see humans achieving something so great and amazing and it made me
want to be a part of it. It is funny to think about it, they still use the same
Soyuz launch vehicle as they did decades ago!
Human
spaceflight is inspirational to many. It is part of human nature to strive to achieve
something great and to touch the unknown. "I
look forward to seeing human footprints on the surface of Mars in my
lifetime," says professor Steltzner,
who served as the lead engineer for NASA's Mars rover Curiosity (Redd, 2014).
Nevertheless, human space exploration has many challenges,
comparing to robotic space travel. Humans bodies are not designed to withstand extreme
radiation exposure, zero gravity environments, and temperature extremes. Long
missions in zero gravity may cause adverse health effects, such as bone loss,
muscle deterioration, heart muscle weakening, and higher probability of cancers.
The human body is not designed to withstand high gravitational loads
experienced during spacecraft launch and landing. For instance, the Curiosity landing
on the Martian atmosphere generated 15 times the acceleration of gravity (15
gs). Humans would never have survived this landing. “At 15gs, the retinas would
detach from the eyes”, the article states (Redd, 2014).
Humans require food, water, and oxygen, which will need to be
constantly replenished or enough for the entire mission will need to be carried.
That would require a much larger delivery craft to handle the additional
payload. The design of the human space vehicles and habitats must have multiple
levels of redundancy and life support systems.
It would also require a larger team of mission support personnel to
monitor, plan, and troubleshoot every aspect of the mission. Ultimately, all of
these additional considerations cost more money. The argument is: Isn’t it
easier, safer and less expensive to send an unmanned vehicle, which does not
require all the additional life-support systems to the same planned
destinations for less.
However, the entire idea of space exploration rests on the
possibility that one-day people will need to colonize a new planet. Someday
Earth may not be suitable for humans to live on due to several possible circumstances.
A disaster, similar to what caused the distinction of dinosaurs may strike our
planet or due to a growing
population, climate and environmental issues the Earth could become too small
or too toxic for our habitation. This leads to what Steltzner termed the
"terraforming paradox," in which the skills and abilities necessary
to change another planet to suit human needs are the same that are necessary to
keep Earth suitable and sustainable. All the capabilities
needed to accomplish human interstellar travel are the same skills which are
required for successful human survival (Starship, n.d.).
In my opinion, human spaceflight is also a main driver
for research and the creator of the newand advanced technologies, which can
also be used on Earth. The project called the 100-Year Starship is intended to design
technologies, which may allow for interstellar travel in the next 100 years. It
is an interesting endeavor, and -who knows- it may succeed. Still, it will certainly
ignite the interest, foster innovation, and create enthusiasm about space
travel. The 100-Year Starship program will not
only involve scientists and engineers, but also artists and science fiction
writers.
It is my personal
opinion- that human space exploration should continue. However, unmanned
systems should be an essential part of it. Robots can be send to scout new
space destinations, collect data, and prepare the planets and the moons for
future human arrivals. Manned space program cannot function without unmanned
technology. Humans and robots should work in synergy toward new discoveries,
and new endeavors.
The planetary scientist Joshua Colwell states: ‘While valuable
advances have been made because of the manned program, it cannot and should not
be justified on the grounds of scientific advancement. It is instead about
something equally important as science — the inspiration of our species to
pursue lofty goals” (Colwell & Britt, 2016).
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