Space Exploration
Space exploration is the use of research and access to space beyond Earth’s atmosphere by crewed and uncrewed spacecraft and the use of information so obtained to increase knowledge of the universe and benefit humanity. Space exploration is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes; its physical exploration is conducted both by uncrewed robotic space probes and human spaceflight.
Since ancient times, people have always looked at the sky and wondered about the nature of the objects seen in the night sky. In the 20th century, rockets and advances in electronics and other technologies made it possible to send machines and animals, and later humans, into space above Earth’s atmosphere. The early era of space exploration was driven by a “space race” between the Soviet Union and the United States. A driving force behind the beginning of space exploration was the Cold War. Both the Soviets and the U.S. were fighting to prove their superiority in technology by exploring space.
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1, the first man-made object to orbit the Earth, was launched. This is one of the main phenomena of space exploration. Not only that, the first moon landing by the American Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969, is often taken as a landmark for this initial period. In addition, the first person to live in orbit in 1957, the first human spaceflight in 1961 (Yuri Gagarin Vostok 1), the first spacewalk (by Alexei Leonov) on March 18, 1965, and the first autonomous landing on another celestial body in 1966 are major milestones.
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Since the mid-20th century, probes and human missions have been sent into Earth orbit and then to the Moon. Probes were also sent throughout the known solar system. So nowadays, several types of space exploration technology are used to obtain information about celestial bodies. For example, fly-bys, orbiters, landers, rovers, and telescopes can be used to observe, collect data, and take images far beyond Earth.
Space observation and experiments are not limited to searching for other planets. It has become important to know the important things related to the existence of the earth and also to find solutions to the problems. The study also found that rockets deplete the ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere, which protects the Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Rockets that burn solid, chlorine-based fuel damage the ozone by releasing ozone-destroying chlorine directly into the stratosphere. Not only that, space-sensing-based technologies such as remote sensing data have improved the science of the water cycle, atmospheric nature, and other aspects of the natural environment.
Finally, life on Earth may be threatened by climate change, pollution, depletion of resources, infectious diseases, or nuclear war. Further, space exploration is necessary to find another planet on which humans could pursue their lives. Space programs also help find solutions to adapt human lives to space or other planets.
Written By Dasun Kularathne of SLTC Research University
