In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first artificial Earth satellite into a low Earth orbit. The satellite was called “Sputnik 1” and it prompted Dwight D. Eisenhower’s successor (John F. Kennedy) to respond by implementing a mission that would send a few selected astronauts to the moon. By 1969, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent three extraordinarily brave men on a historical mission that unbeknownst to them would become a highlight for the rest of mankind. Today our country proclaims the same ambition to explore outwards from the blue marble that we call home. Ever since humans walked on the moon, the next destination discussed among many was Mars. Reaching to this planet would be a remarkable accomplish, but
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Luckily, one of the biggest advancements created by humans is technology. The first computer was invented in 1821 and now approximately two hundred years later, we use the same technological concept for maintaining large servers that power the World Wide Web, or we communicate to a crew working in a station at an altitude of 205 miles which orbits our planet 15.7 times a day at 17,227 miles per hour. NASA plans to further stretch the limitations of our technology. In a report published in the Christian Science Monitor titled “How Soon Will We Get to Mars?” Cathaleen Chen states that, “preliminary work will be conducted by NASA 's next Mars Rover, to be launched in 2020.” She continues by including that “The rover will . . . turn carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into breathable oxygen and carbon monoxide. [I]n addition to allowing humans on Mars to breathe, the oxygen could also be used as fuel for the flight home.” (How Soon Will We Get to Mars?) Along with the Mars rover mission, there is a mission that will be conducted on an asteroid which will soon pass by Earth. This asteroid will be tethered into our orbit and landed on for practice with lower gravitation. These missions aim on being conducted for practice on the environment Mars has to …show more content…
Also published in the Christian Science Monitor, Liz Fuller-Wright comments on the Mars rover planning to be launched in 2020. “The budget for Mars 2020 is about $1 billion less than the budget for Curiosity [a rover currently doing geological research of the soil on Mars], coming in at $1.5 billion”. The plan she suggests is to “recycle Curiosity 's design [by] using some of its some spare parts.” (NASA’s Going Bold – On a Budget) With new engineering or research this rover may be able to accomplish its mission within its estimated time. Although NASA has a limited budget, they aren’t the only space agency looking into Mars. An example is SpaceX, who has been testing different rockets that can accurately land back toward the planet. Joel Achenbach states that “SpaceX committee member John Sommerer said that it is unrealistic to expect a commercial company to spend the money and take on the risk necessary to achieve human exploration on the Martian surface.” (Study: Mars Landing Still Far, Far Away) Another agency interested in Mars is India. Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar wrote that “India marked its 101st space mission” and “There are signs that this is already happening.” (India Launches 101st Space Mission, and Looks to Mars.) Likewise, there’s a variety of space organizations interested in going to Mars and none of them are in
Luckily, one of the biggest advancements created by humans is technology. The first computer was invented in 1821 and now approximately two hundred years later, we use the same technological concept for maintaining large servers that power the World Wide Web, or we communicate to a crew working in a station at an altitude of 205 miles which orbits our planet 15.7 times a day at 17,227 miles per hour. NASA plans to further stretch the limitations of our technology. In a report published in the Christian Science Monitor titled “How Soon Will We Get to Mars?” Cathaleen Chen states that, “preliminary work will be conducted by NASA 's next Mars Rover, to be launched in 2020.” She continues by including that “The rover will . . . turn carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into breathable oxygen and carbon monoxide. [I]n addition to allowing humans on Mars to breathe, the oxygen could also be used as fuel for the flight home.” (How Soon Will We Get to Mars?) Along with the Mars rover mission, there is a mission that will be conducted on an asteroid which will soon pass by Earth. This asteroid will be tethered into our orbit and landed on for practice with lower gravitation. These missions aim on being conducted for practice on the environment Mars has to …show more content…
Also published in the Christian Science Monitor, Liz Fuller-Wright comments on the Mars rover planning to be launched in 2020. “The budget for Mars 2020 is about $1 billion less than the budget for Curiosity [a rover currently doing geological research of the soil on Mars], coming in at $1.5 billion”. The plan she suggests is to “recycle Curiosity 's design [by] using some of its some spare parts.” (NASA’s Going Bold – On a Budget) With new engineering or research this rover may be able to accomplish its mission within its estimated time. Although NASA has a limited budget, they aren’t the only space agency looking into Mars. An example is SpaceX, who has been testing different rockets that can accurately land back toward the planet. Joel Achenbach states that “SpaceX committee member John Sommerer said that it is unrealistic to expect a commercial company to spend the money and take on the risk necessary to achieve human exploration on the Martian surface.” (Study: Mars Landing Still Far, Far Away) Another agency interested in Mars is India. Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar wrote that “India marked its 101st space mission” and “There are signs that this is already happening.” (India Launches 101st Space Mission, and Looks to Mars.) Likewise, there’s a variety of space organizations interested in going to Mars and none of them are in