The importance of space exploration
Scott Kelly’s return encourages research of the unknown
American astronaut Scott Kelly recently returned to Earth from a 340 day space mission.
There are many things in the world that we are sure of. We are sure that the Earth is round, that dinosaurs have existed and that school is one of the major causes of our stress. However, the one thing that we are not completely sure of is space.
Earlier this month, Captain Scott Kelly, an astronaut for NASA, returned from space after being there for 340 days. He currently holds the record for the longest time an American has spent in space. This is yet another accomplishment by the United States when it comes to exploring the unknown space.
This most recent mission has motivated a new wave of space exploration planned for the near future. Mars has been a hot topic among space experts considering that it is relatively similar to Earth in some aspects.
For this reason, it is important that NASA keeps on sending astronauts to space as they might discover important information that could affect the possibility of life on Mars.
Resulting from Kelly’s recent mission, NASA has acquired lots of new information throughout the duration of his time in space.
He collected tons of data and is one of the many astronauts that should have endless praises. The very fact that he was so brave to venture out into the unknown for that long, not knowing whether he would survive is truly remarkable. Especially since him going to space will lead to many discoveries that will relieve both us and the generations to come.
With all the exciting news of Kelly’s return, the most extraordinary part by far is that scientists will be able to compare him to his twin brother Mark Kelly, who was also a former astronaut.
Mark Kelly has been monitored on Earth while Scott Kelly was monitored in space. Because they are identical twins, their body was built the same way. This very coincidence will enable scientists to further understand how Scott Kelly’s body reacted to the atmosphere as well as other factors in space.
“Scott Kelly’s return will bring a new generation of exploration for further planets,” sophomore William Wheatley said. “Space exploration is becoming more and more important as our planet is falling apart.”
According to Herald-Whig, a station located in Illinois, NASA has eight to 14 slots open to send astronauts to Mars in 2030 but they first want to know the impact space will have on the human body. It is essential that they understand all the impacts and dangers of space before risking the lives of several humans.
The trip to Mars is expected to last for about 20 years and it is not as pleasant as it sounds.
For one thing, we have no idea what to expect. With the high amounts of cosmic radiation and gravity, we have no idea how it’s going to impact our bodies and whether it will be negative or positive.
In fact it was reported that Scott Kelly grew two inches while in space but returned to his normal height just 28 hours later. Although it does not seem like that big of a deal, it could have a larger meaning.
According to Arizona University, there are many differences between Mars and Earth that could be a setback for humanity.
For instance, Mars is much smaller than Earth– about “one-half its diameter. This is definitely a setback considering that the earth population seems to be increasing by the billions.
Along with that, Mars does not have any liquid water meaning that resources will be very limited to the increasing size of the world’s population.
However, in comparison with the other planets, Mars seems to be the only planet so far that humans may be able to live on. We need to venture out and see in case we come across a planet that is similar to Earth.
“Space exploration is important because we will be able to discover new things,” junior Nicole Molina said. “We could discover stuff that could benefit and help us.”
The Earth is experiencing lots of harm due to pollution and global warming. If we keep going the distance and searching for more planets, there could be a chance that we discover a new planet beneficial to us.
Space exploration in general is very important. The Earth’s resources aren’t going to last forever and we need to know about other planets so that the future generations can have a place to live.
Senior Ruth Mekonnen has been on The A-Blast staff for four years and she is currently the Editorials Editor. She was previously a staff writer and In-Depth...
Todd Murray • Sep 13, 2017 at 5:32 pm
I don’t think that NASA is the answer to the next step in space exploration. SpaceX has made so many important advancements in the field of space travel. I think it is important to check out what they are doing to get more insight into space exploration.
Frederick Christensen • Mar 29, 2016 at 11:38 am
No I am not buying a lot of this NASA bunkum.Lets Think logically for starters.With the exception of planet Earth there are no other planets in our solar system capable of supporting Life as we know it.Mars has about one tenth the mass of Earth and it has a very thin or rarified atmosphere.If poor old Humanity is looking for a Place to reinvent itself,Mars would be an extremely poor choice.I suspect that most of the Space “Groupies” as I like to call them are gung ho for an adventure at the tax payers expense and have also viewed far too much Star Dreck er Trek and Star Bores during their childhood.Space is extremely hostile and prolonged periods of weightlessness can create acute muscular atrophy and shorten your natural living span and then there is the matter of acute Cosmic radiation which can wreak havoc with the human organism as well.Also what would these adventure seeking thrill seekers accomplish by going to Mars.I am familiar with the typical diatribe about building Martian colonys and all that other far fetched fantasy but ask yourself one important question: Would the financial return come Close to justifying the onerous expenditure? Yes I know certain Little people love thrills,chills and spills so let them pay for their thrills,chills and spills.If there was a planet with water and a moderate climate,and preferably uninhabited,I would even join the throng but reality would seem to indicate that when it comes to space…”Humanity is all dressed up with NO viable Place to go”! Manned Space exploration is for the most part a materialistic wet Dream promoted by vested interests that are connected to contractual defense spending,certain elements within the engineering and scientific Community and the media who just love to cheerlead and promote what they perceive to be populist bandwagons. A manned triop to Mars would elicit nothing but a big yawn from me because the benefits of the undertaking would benefit fewer than 0.0009% of the World population.We have many challenges here on Earth Before we should even consider adventures to where “NO man has gone Before” lol.Robotic probes,providing finances allow this undertaking,will have to suffice for many years to come.