I have often blogged about the International Space Station, a cooperative project of space faring nations in orbit around the earth. A lot of experiments are carried out by the international crew of the ISS. The U.S. and Russia are two of the major players in the project.
Many fairytales and legends feature a person being put into a long sleep, in some cases decades. With the advent of the scientific age, the idea of being able to put someone into a deep sleep in order for them to endure long space flights became popular.
Many science fiction movies begin with the return of a probe from space which brings some sort of alien life to Earth from space to wreak havoc on our ecosystem. For a long time it was though that the conditions in space were too harsh for the survival of any sort of living organism. However, we have found a living creature called a tardigrade which is so hearty that it can survive vacuum and radiation.
Part 2 of 2 parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Part 1 of 2 parts.
One danger of a manned space launch is that there could be a major problem during launch. If this happens, there should be a way for the crew capsule to be jettisoned so that it can return safely to Earth. We have lost astronauts during launch before. There have been a variety of safety systems proposed.
An increasingly large share of the satellite market is being taken up by what are referred to as “small satellites.” These are defined as weighing less than one thousand one hundred pounds. It is estimated that between 2015 and 2019, over five hundred small satellites will have been launched into low Earth orbit.
The human race has an insatiable hunger for energy. Down through the ages humanity has found new sources for energy and exploited them ruthlessly. Our use of fossil fuels to power our civilization has resulted in changes to the climate that may render large areas of the Earth uninhabitable.
When I was a kid, the portrayal of space ships showed them landing on their tails. Up until recently, every launch just threw away the engines and boosters. This made the cost of launching a package into orbit very expense. Recently SpaceX has developed the capability to land the launch vehicle back on its tail so it can be reused.
The Tiangong-1 (Heavenly Palace 1 in Chinese) was the first space station launched by China. It was carried into orbit in September of 2011 aboard a Long March 2F/G rocket. It served as a manned laboratory and “experimental testbed to demonstrate orbital rendezvous and docking capabilities.” It is thirty five feet long and eleven feet in diameter.
