Traveling spontaneously is great, but for budget travelers it’s essential to create a plan. A plan will ensure you stay on target with your goals while preventing unnecessary expenses from cropping up along the way.
NASA in the United States, Roscosmos in Russia and China’s CNSA are three of the top space agencies. These entities oversee human spaceflight and satellite development projects.
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight (HSF) refers to any effort undertaken by humans to travel into outer space for long durations using capsules, aircraft or space stations.
HSF remains an indicator of national prestige and technological prowess for many nations, reflecting their national prestige and status in science and technology. Although Cold War rivalries have long since ended, the perception that leadership in space equates to economic, political, and cultural strength has continued to inform international policy decisions.
HSF critics argue that its expense diverts funds away from more pressing social needs. Furthermore, research conducted in space adds little new knowledge that couldn’t have been learned on Earth instead. Furthermore, many critics feel it’s wrong morally to send people into space regardless of its success or failure.
Satellites
Since Sputnik was launched in 1957, satellites have become an indispensable part of daily life on Earth. From communicating with people and devices in space to navigation systems and weather forecasting to wildlife tracking – satellites play an indispensable role.
There are thousands of manmade satellites in orbit around Earth and other planets, some positioned to remain stationary over time (one revolution corresponds to a day on Earth), known as geostationary satellites; others may take pictures of Earth or other planets from above or below, known as imaging satellites.
Satellites often carry cameras or other scientific equipment for surveillance and can be powered by solar panels, radioisotope thermoelectric generators, batteries, etc. Satellites also assist in tracking spaceships, robots and other objects located out in space.
Space tourism
Space tourism is an expanding industry offering recreational space travel to the public. This market is driven primarily by high-net-worth individuals and can be divided into suborbital and orbital segments; although its cost may initially seem prohibitive, over time this should reduce.
Tourists typically choose high-altitude jet fighter rides to experience Earth’s curvature and weightlessness from an elevated position. Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX all participate in this market segment.
While many are intrigued by space travel, it is crucial that they consider its environmental implications before embarking on their voyages. Propellants release waste into the stratosphere and mesosphere which can have serious repercussions for the ecosystem.
State-sponsored space programs
Since 1957, Earth-orbiting satellites have provided invaluable data about our solar system’s Sun, Earth and planets – along with four asteroids, one comet nucleus and the nucleus of another comet – enabling scientists to gain a greater understanding of stars, galaxies and other cosmic phenomena.
As technology advanced, nations began developing their own space programs. Now over 70 nations have established space agencies that can launch spacecraft into orbit or extraterrestrial locations.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program provides economic stimulus for private companies to develop reusable spacecraft to reach low Earth orbit, with hopes that eventually this will open the way to commercial space tourism. Other government-funded space applications include satellite telecommunications and weather observations; The Biden-Harris Administration will work towards furthering these goals by encouraging international cooperation within this sector.
Space research
Although space travel only recently became reality, humans have long dreamt of traveling into outer space and musing about its wonders for centuries. Scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Johannes Kepler made major contributions to astronomy by studying planetary motions and advocating for a heliocentric model of our solar system; Isaac Newton then added his set of laws that remain useful even today.
Today’s space research centers around Earth, its natural environment and human interactions with it. Satellites in orbit offer unique views into what’s going on on our planet from ocean currents to air traffic patterns – plus some researchers even use powerful telescopes to investigate galaxies deep space!