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Marta Dopita
Professor Simone Suddreth
English 1010
July 29 2015
The Stars In Our Skies
From the beginning of time humans have looked up to the skies and wondered what it is
that we see. All we know is that there are mesmerizing lights amongst a deep darkness. This
wonder drives us to explore, to ease the fear of the unknown and to gain better knowledge of our
place in this vastness. This wonder brought us some of the greatest minds; philosophers like
Plato and Aristotle, astronomers like Ptolemy, Copernicus and Galileo all helped start a journey
into a series of fascinating discoveries and technological advances. These advances will make
space travel and deep space exploration a common way of transportation within our lifetime.
Before diving into the future, we must understand our past and what drives us to explore.
As humans we know we are driven by curiosity or fear, so the origins of wanting more from
space can lie in either the fear of natural disasters, the Second Coming and/or just pure
curiosity of discovering our origins; finding other intelligent life or wanting to satisfy the urge of
belonging to something larger than us. Some well-known natural disasters that are to occur in the
future; some with a higher possibility than others, are, the Yellowstone super volcano; stated in
Yellowstone, occurred 640,000 years ago and left a 45 mile crater is said to still be active, the
Pacific Northwest earthquake as expressed in Tsunami, would cause an extremely destructive
tsunami due to the Cascadia Fault Line, an asteroid which is to smash into our planet in 2032,
but the chances are still quite slim: one in 63,000; NASA says it is 99.998% positive the
asteroid will fly by us(Dier et. al.), or a disease outbreak which is a viable possibility because,

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we're also finding that more and more infections are showing resistance to all available
drugs. And the threat exists that sometime, somewhere, someone will unleash a deadly,
genetically modified microbe for which we may have no warning and little preparation.
(Frieden)
The second reason could be the belief of The Second Coming which by definition is the
coming of Christ as judge on the last day (Merriam-Webster). Lastly, curiosity of discovering
where we came from, if there are anymore of us and trying to figure out whether we are a part of
a larger plan, are the biggest motivators for exploration. To travel beyond our world and to
achieve exploration, we must acquire intelligence, technology, resources and able-bodied hands
to put it all together and make it possible to move forward.
There are several ways space travel/exploration is achieved and a select few that hold it
all in their hands, either they are a private sector or NASA, funded by the government. The list of
private companies is growing, while some are looking to gain more power and money by
creating technologies to mine various minerals and precious metals on asteroids and others are
trying to make space accessible to the general public, to create profit off of commercial flight.
NASA has two upcoming missions that they are developing the capabilities needed to send
humans to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s (Daines). They are also continuing to
keep the peace, upholding and progressing through research via the international space station
(Dunbar). Ten years ago what we envisions as our future, is now being put to the test. That
future we spoke of is being carried out and explored as we speak. Each company has
something different to offer they are as follows: Armadillo Aerospace works with NASA and the
United States Air Force on technologies that are specifically for flight; they have performed
over two hundred flight tests spread over two dozen different vehicles, Bigelow Aerospace, Inc.,

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focuses on human space flight in the area of commercial business, Blue Origin, was created by
the founder of Amazon.com and they are developing concepts and technology to support future
human spaceflight operations, Copenhagen Suborbitals, is a non-profit suborbital space
endeavor working towards launching a human being into space, Deep Space Industries, is a
privately held space company planning to mine asteroids for usable materials and
manufacturing in situ., these missions were set to be launched this year, 2015, and there are
many more (Private Space Companies).
However, the most talked about mission by a private company is the Mars One mission.
This mission was founded in 2011 and an intensive search, training and construction began. In
2013 the selection process for future residents was underway, 2016 will be the beginning of
training for those selected, 2020-2025 will consist of a series of demo missions, communication
satellite missions, cargo missions, in 2026 the first human crew will start their one year, one way
journey to inhabit mars and in the year 2028 the second crew will be sent out. This private
company when asked how they expect to be receiving funding, they responded by answering that
they have constructed the entire mission around making it a reality television show (Mars One).
To achieve all of this extraordinary work we must realize that there are millions of dollars,
resources and hard work that are creating all of this technology to make it possible.
We now possess new and thrilling technologies like transporting small spacecraft with
lasers, that that NASA is helping fund, they also have seven far-out space-exploration concepts;
the Swarm Flyby Gravimetery a swarm of low-cost probes flying by objects, measuring their
gravitational pull and composition, PERlapsis Subsurface Cave Optical Explorer a low
orbiting spacecraft that would peer down at the moon, firing laser pulses into the entrances of
subsurface caves to create 3D maps of their inner reaches, the Titan Submarine, a submarine

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that would probe deep beneath Titans largest sea, Trans-Formers for Lunar Extreme
Environments, unfolding reflectors that would beam light and heat down to robot explorers in
the deepest of craters and crevices, 3D Photocatalytic Air Processor for Dramatic Reduction of
Life Support Mass and Complexity, a new air-processing design would efficiently generate
oxygen from titanium dioxide and light in space, Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System,
an electric sail that would let spacecraft ride the solar wind around our system unencumbered
by traditional propellants, and finally, SCEPS in Space, stored chemical energy power system,
like those used in Navy torpedoes, would be adapted to power landers where no light shines
(Lewin).
Some other great concepts that have become achievements that NASA has accomplished for
space travel are a part of three of the fastest-growing sciences of our day-biotech, nanotech and
technology, some of these materials consist of:
a substance with 100 times the strength of steel, yet only 1/6th the weight; materials
that instantly heal themselves when punctured; surfaces that can feel the forces pressing
on them; wires and electronics as tiny as molecules; structural material that also generate
and store electricity; and liquids that can instantly switch to solid and back again at will.
All of these materials exist todayand more are on the way. (Dunbar)
All of these concepts have a cost: a lot of money, natural resources and many long industrious
hours spent on making the once unrealistic realistic.
For space exploration one must acquire a lot of money, not only hundreds and thousand
of dollars but millions and billions of dollars. For example, the Mars One mission costs 6 billion
dollars for the first four people on Mars, the six billion figure is the cost of all the hardware

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combined, plus the operational expenditures, plus margins (Mars One). The largest costs are for
material and NASA explains that,
lowering the cost of space flight primarily means reducing weight. Each pound
trimmed is a pound that wont need propulsion to escape from earths gravity. Lighter
spaceships can have smaller, more efficient engines and less fuel. This, in turn saves
more weight, thus creating beneficial spiral of weight savings and cost reduction.
(Dunbar)
This cost now, with private companies in the race with NASA, for better material, wider sense of
exploration and the labor of hundreds of people is large, but all these projects are being
successfully funded. So the future of space travel and exploration is happening now; now is
our future.
Through the hard work and dedication of many people, we are now living in the future
and within just a few years we will be seeing many fantastic feats that we once believed were
impossible. For any reason we explore, there is a strong urge that connects us all. We all have
that urge of discovery, discovery of us; the human race. How did we come to be on this beautiful
planet of ours? If we search far and wide enough, there is still hope that we will have our
questions answered and that keeps us from giving up. With each new generation, there are more
resources that had been created by older generations to help us grow. Maybe, one day we will
find that answer. However, that answer could be far from what we expected or it could be very
relatable because of myths and stories that have been passed from one generation to another.
The most surprising aspect shown through the research is how far we have come with
technological advances. There are many technologies that are well known but many that are not,
and absolutely incredible. This research project was to help understand and figure out all of

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these new innovations and technologies. There is nothing like having an imagination as a child
and watching it all come to life as you grow.

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WORKS CITED

Daines, Gary. "NASA's Journey to Mars." NASA. NASA, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 30 July 2015.
Dier, Newser Arden. "Small Chance a Big Asteroid Could Hit Earth in 2032."USA Today.
Gannett, 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 July 2015.
Dunbar, Brian. "The Right Stuff for Super Spaceships." NASA. NASA, 11 Aug. 2003. Web. 30
July 2015.
Dunbar, Brian. "Launch Schedule." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 30 July. 2015.
Ferguson, Ian. "Space Exploration Is Best In Hands of NASA, Not Private Sector." Mic. .Mic, 4
Nov. 2011. Web. 30 July 2015
Frieden, Dr. Tom. "CDC: A Disease Outbreak Anywhere Is a Risk Everywhere
CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 July. 2015.
Lewin, Sarah. "NASA Funds Titan Submarine, Other Far-Out Space Exploration
Ideas ." Space.com. N.p., 15 July 2015. Web. 30 July 2015.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 30 July 2015.
"Mission Cost - Finance and Feasibility - Mars One." Mars One. Mars One, n.d. Web. 30 July
2015.
"Private Space Companies." Private Space Companies. The Space Settlement Institute, n.d. Web.
30 July 2015.
"Roadmap - Mission - Mars One." Mars One. Mars One, n.d. Web. 30 July 2015.
Tsunami. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 2009. Web. 30 July 2015.
Yellowstone. Films On Demand.Films Media Group, 2009. Web. 30 July 2015.