Hello Everybody,
During this week, thanks to rarefaction and chemical non-equilibrium i have been thinking a lot about the space program, men efforts in space exploration and... how much and how little we have managed in 50 years.
Let me put it on perspective.
First human manned flight 1903
First flight across the Atlantic 1927
First supersonic flight 1947
First man on space 1961
First man on the moon 1969
First space station 1971 (Salyut 1)
Amazing!! Right!!! Following this pattern, anybody would have thought that By 1990 or the year 2000 top we will be living on mars.
But...
Since 1971 till today we have not made any real progress in Manned Space Exploration.
Yes. We had the shuttle and we have ISS but those are Low earth orbit players. Since the ending of the Apollo missions on 1972 we have not gone farther.
Now the good news!!!
It seems that space science and space exploration are having a second chance. This time boosted by private companies. SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures, among others are giving us back the dream of reaching other worlds. (Special applause for SpaceX, http://bit.ly/vtIogA).
I'm sure that the rocket scientists, the geeks, star wars/star trek fans and every kid in the world are really excited about this, but sadly there is a majority of people that thinks that its not worth it.
I have been fighting this topic for many years, specially because every time I tell people that I want to be an astronaut or they see me "too excited" about space they will ask me why is so important, and the classical question, "Why not use that money to feed the people of Africa or cure AIDS?"
Well.. First of all, Thanks to all of this people out there, because you all gave me an idea. This idea is explained in a letter I wrote on Yuri's night of this year. Sadly nobody wanted to publish it and the idea finish on my blog and hard drive. Lets see how it goes this time.
Ladies and gentlemen, my letter:
During this week, thanks to rarefaction and chemical non-equilibrium i have been thinking a lot about the space program, men efforts in space exploration and... how much and how little we have managed in 50 years.
Let me put it on perspective.
First human manned flight 1903
First flight across the Atlantic 1927
First supersonic flight 1947
First man on space 1961
First man on the moon 1969
First space station 1971 (Salyut 1)
Amazing!! Right!!! Following this pattern, anybody would have thought that By 1990 or the year 2000 top we will be living on mars.
But...
Since 1971 till today we have not made any real progress in Manned Space Exploration.
Yes. We had the shuttle and we have ISS but those are Low earth orbit players. Since the ending of the Apollo missions on 1972 we have not gone farther.
Now the good news!!!
It seems that space science and space exploration are having a second chance. This time boosted by private companies. SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Space Adventures, among others are giving us back the dream of reaching other worlds. (Special applause for SpaceX, http://bit.ly/vtIogA).
I'm sure that the rocket scientists, the geeks, star wars/star trek fans and every kid in the world are really excited about this, but sadly there is a majority of people that thinks that its not worth it.
I have been fighting this topic for many years, specially because every time I tell people that I want to be an astronaut or they see me "too excited" about space they will ask me why is so important, and the classical question, "Why not use that money to feed the people of Africa or cure AIDS?"
Well.. First of all, Thanks to all of this people out there, because you all gave me an idea. This idea is explained in a letter I wrote on Yuri's night of this year. Sadly nobody wanted to publish it and the idea finish on my blog and hard drive. Lets see how it goes this time.
Ladies and gentlemen, my letter:
April 12, 2011...
Today is the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight. Sadly not so many people know about it or give the credit it deserves. I would recognize that Google is helping with its nice doodle, but apart from the casual comment in the news, the majority of the people in the world will pass through this celebration without taking notice.
I have to admit that I am a space exploration fan. Since I was 12 years old because of my first trip to the Kennedy Space center, I felt in love with the idea of men conquering the space as an interplanetary specie. This passion kept growing thanks to movies, books and TV series such as ʻStar Warsʼ, ʻA pale blue dotʼ, ʻStar Trekʼ, among others. From my point of view, everything that is related to space colonization, has been an obvious step in the human race evolution. But as strange as it may look to all the space lovers out there, if you ask the average Joe about the last mission of the Space Shuttle he most certainly would have no idea. Even more, he would regard all of these efforts as a waste of time and resources, not realizing at all, that a lot of the improvements in his life had been brought by a vast number of space programs.
Every time I am talking about how important is to focus on the human race future in the space, the first argument people use against it, is that we are spending too much money in robots and spaceships, while down here, there is people dying of hunger. Then it is my job to explain them how space exploration has improved our life. Medical equipment, food industry, clothing industry, farming techniques and hundreds examples more are direct descendants of space science.
One example I found particularly interesting, is how the design of a spacecraft for interplanetary exploration can help us with solving one of the biggest problems about earth resources. Seen from a general perspective, the earth and a spaceship are the same, both floating in the huge emptiness of space in a closed environment. If we manage to create a spacecraft that maintains the balance with a high efficiency recycle system, a closed loop, we can use those learnings to have a greener life here.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery once write “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”.
NASA, ESA and many other space agencies and companies had done wonders with their Technology Transfer Program, but there is barely any acknowledgment from the society. From my point of view, they have to show to the people, that something as common as their baby nutritional food can be traced back to the space sector.My idea is relatively simple We have to show the people the importance and usage of space exploration. How? By creating a logo that will be in every product that owns its development to the aerospace sector.
Every time a space agency or space company signs a contract for a technology transfers project, there should be a clause that demands that the final product or part of the package, must have a logo which would proudly informs that its development is owned to space technology. Pushing this idea a little further, there could be a note explaining interesting facts about the space and the space exploration brand initiative.
Maybe this idea seems to be a little bit to simple to diverge the current trend in peoples thinking, but itʼs a fact we people relate logos with ideas, if you have any doubt ask McDonalds® or The Coca Cola Company®.
But with the help of the logotype, as shown in the diagram B, a cycle becomes completed. Once people realize that babyʼs food, dadʼs prosthetic arm, the carʼs aerodynamics, the hospitalʼs machines and many other products are the result of the research for space exploration, the whole idea of going to the Moon, Mars and beyond, despite of the risks, would be supported by a vast majority.
I am confident that the secrets and answers to many of this world’s questions and problems lay away of the earth. I am also aware that it is a dangerous and scary adventure. But before we force people to follow unknown paths, we have to remind them how much we have achieved, how much more we can win. Once they they realize the importance of it, they will be ready to understand that choosing short-term safety for the human race by denying humanity's access to the stars, will eventually lead to a future when we will die out, leaving an empty Earth and nothing else. Choosing safety and mediocrity the stars are out of reach.
That is why, my wish for this 50th anniversary is that before the celebration of the centennial of the first human spaceflight we will be able to reach another planet.
Using Yuri's words....
Using Yuri's words....
Poyejali!!
