By Srianee (Bunter) Fernando Dias
It is very possible that within our lifetime rockets to Mars
will take along some brave astronauts.
SpaceX, the company whose founder and CEO is Elon Musk, is funding and
developing a series of cargo flights to Mars on powerful rockets named Starship
and Super Heavy which may begin in 2022.
These Big Falcon Rockets (BFRs) will transport and assemble
methane/oxygen propellants before crewed flights begin as early as 2024. That
is their goal. Other companies that are investing in similar ventures are
Boeing and Lockheed-Martin.
Before we travel to Mars the planet has to be able to support
human life. I believe water has been
detected on the Red Planet, but the atmospheric air on Mars is mostly CO2. The pioneer astronauts who land on the planet
would have to walk around in space suits all the time.
Will there be commercial flights to Mars? SpaceX’s president and COO, Gwyneth Shotwell
says that in 10 years or so they hope to take people to Mars. Elon Musk says one can possibly purchase a
ride on one of these rockets for $500,000.00.
But when? Of course, for those of
us over 75 years, one can merely fantasize.
We are unlikely to qualify for the physical and mental challenge of a
trip that could take 150 to 300 days, depending on the speed of the launch and
the travel path of the rocket.
Who would be likely to take a trip to Mars?
Do you think it is necessary to spend billions of dollars on
space explorations?
Do you believe that there are life forms on planets beyond
our solar system?
Note: Much of this
information has been gleaned from internet sites.
Srianee
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing up this interesting topic for discussion. I am not into astrophysics or astronomy but just a layman with an occasional interest. My only flirt with the topic was to build a rocket for my sons with colourful Lego which never left terra firma.
Would I like to go to Mars? Not at my age with my many frailties. If I were younger and the tours have been well established, perhaps, yes. Just to see for myself the beauty of the landscape and experience some of its hostilities. Having said that I was one of the few in our batch who never wanted to venture beyond the shores of our own magical Sri Lanka. I didn’t see beyond being a happy DMO in the wilds. I am in the UK simply by a quirk of fate!!
Do I think it is necessary to spend billions of dollars on space explorations? I think it is money well spent. We really do not know what lies over there. There may be habitable planets like our own that can support life.
Do I believe that there are life forms on planets beyond our solar system? I certainly do and hope so too. It may not be humanoid forms. There may be a completely different life forms that have evolved totally differently to the phyla and species we see on earth.
Quite agree about having a wider outlook about what life is. The ability to reproduce I suppose is fundamental but metabolic and other such features may be totally different. Even on Planet Earth, animals living in the depths of deep oceans are so well adapted to that environment that they cannot survive on the surface.
DeleteSrianee, what an interesting and thought provoking post! I shall commence my response by trying to answer the questions you posed at the end.
ReplyDeleteWho would be likely to take a trip to Mars?
I can take this as an invitation such as “who would like to volunteer to take a trip to Mars” or as a general query as "what sort of person, or from what Nation the Mars trippers are likely to come from". If it is the first , my answer would be “no thank you” (even if I had the money) as I am plane scared! I would rather go to sleep and dream I am on my way to Mars because it is so much safer! If the question was the latter, I would say probably a male of the species, lover of risk taking, with unmatched curiosity and courage and most probably an American or a Chinese.
Do you think it is necessary to spend billions of dollars on space explorations? The key word is “necessary!”. Necessary implies that refraining from the activity is bad; almost like saying it is essential. From that point of view, I cannot see it being “necessary”. One could rephrase the question as - Do you think it is beneficial to spend billions of dollars on space explorations? This is more difficult. There are many technical innovations arising from space exploration that has benefited humanity. Water purification technology, computer assisted navigation, freeze dried technology for preserving food, clean energy battery technology are just a few examples. Providing gainful employment to millions of people is another. But in my view, the biggest benefit is that it leads us to a greater appreciation of the Universe we live in, and it is an integral part of moving from mythology to scientific rational thinking. I also feel it is humbling for us to reflect on the vastness and beauty of space. Those who imagined that the “design” is perfect were rudely awakened to the fact that this is far from the truth; in fact, the Universe is replete with imperfections!
On to the next question -Do you believe that there are life forms on planets beyond our solar system? I think it is the height of human conceit to believe that life forms exist only on Earth. On the grounds of sheer probability, it would be impossible for life to be restricted to our solar system. The supremacy of Man and Earth centric, human centric thinking has long been proved to be incorrect.
Finally, we have a tendency to polarise things. If you are not good, you are bad. If you don’t like something, you hate it. This binary thinking is false. There are all sorts of shades between the two extremes. Expenditure on space exploration could be diverted to spending on improving the condition of billions of unfortunate human beings. That is true, but it is also true that such beneficial actions could take place concurrently with spending money on space exploration. Both are good things and the case should not be either/or. Getting the balance right is the challenge. Space exploration provides many known indirect and direct benefits and many as yet unknown benefits. Space exploration is part of Man’s innate desire to comprehend his existence and the Universe he lives in. It is impossible to stop this drive. To explore, to be curious and to pursue answers to questions is part of being Human.
The wonder of the sky at night takes me back to my childhood and my holidays in my ancestral home in Kegalle. On moonlit nights I recall being seated on a rock in the garden. The moon lit up the sky and the desolate hills ad valleys all around me. It was simply magical to be there. The stars seemed to shine brighter then. The concept of infinity of time and space has intrigued and baffled us since the beginning of time. So little is known of the universe despite the information available in the public domain.
ReplyDeleteJust to digress: When I think of the planets my mind goes to the wonderful composition of orchestral music by Gustav Holst a hundred years ago. He was the respected Director of Music of St Paul's school in London. Although his composition was mostly linked to astrology than astronomy his depiction of Jupiter and Saturn in particular creates wonderful images in my mind of its beauty and the vicious harshness of its atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteNihal, while I was typing the comment below, I decided to listen to "Jupiter" by
DeleteGustav Holst. Talk about instant gratification, it only took a couple of minutes to find it on YouTube. It is a majestic tune, and a few minutes into it I realized it was the tune of a very familiar hymn: "I Vow to Thee My Country." It is patriotic British Hymn. The poem by Sir Cecil Spring Rice was set to music by Gustav Holst in 1921. The words go "I vow to thee my country, all earthly things above, Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love; The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test, that lays upon the altar the dearest and the best..." (I think it was sung at Prince William's wedding ).
Thanks for the digression!
The hymn "I vow to thee my country" is one that is sung in trqditional public schools just like we sang Rev WS Senior's composition "The Hymn for Ceylon". It is sung at the beginning and end of term and at the final assembly when leaving school amidst the tears and the emotion. The hymn now reminds me of the Bedford School Chapel when my sons left school. The patriotic lyrics and the wonderful melody still brings back many fine memories.
DeleteI too love the Holst Planet music,especially Jupiter. The connection between music and planets (heavenly bodies as they called them), goes back a long way. The concept of planets producing music goes back to the time of Pythagoras (570 BC-best remembered for his famous theorem), and his followers, the Pythagoreans, who believed that men should devote themselves to the study of nature, particularly astronomy, mathematics and music in order to purify the soul. Their most famous musical idea was the doctrine of the ‘harmony’ or ‘music of the spheres’. The original idea was that the Heavenly bodies makes sounds because they hurtle through space at various speeds, that the ratios between these different speeds are just the right ones to ensure that the sound are harmonious: and that we don’t notice this music because we have heard it since birth and we are used to it. It was also thought that the soul is trapped in a body in mortal life and thereby kept from appreciating the harmonious nature and beauty of the Universe. They also believed that the Earth and heavenly bodies all circle around an unseen 'central fire' and that there is a ‘counter earth’ between the central fire and the earth. I found this fascinating as we take astronomical facts for granted and forget how little we knew in those days when the Earth was thought to be the Centre of the Universe. At least the Pythagoreans removed the idea that the Earth was central.
DeleteMahen and Nihal, thank you for getting this 'conversation' going. I wasn't aware that Lucky had actually posted it until I read Mahen's email to me a few minutes ago. (I submitted it as an example of something that might provoke a lively, imaginative discussion.) The night sky with its mysteries has always fascinated me. Sometimes, I look and wonder how far does the Universe extend? I am the kind of person who stays up late to watch even a partial eclipse of the moon, even though it is not such a rare occurrence. It is really regrettable that because of light pollution in the cities and suburbs that we live in, we are able to see only a fraction of the stars at night. Many years ago, while visiting Haputale, we actually saw the Milky Way without the aid of a telescope. Nowadays, I think even Haputale is not dark enough at night to see the Milky Way.
ReplyDeleteNow to the questions: I think there will be many adventurous, brave, risk takers who will sign on for this trip. No doubt they will have to undergo strenuous training, so that excludes me! Also, I'm not sure if a return trip is guaranteed. We will have to follow the development of this story.
As for spending the billions on space exploration, I honestly think it is necessary for the survival of mankind, because we are doing such a rotten job of taking care of our beautiful planet and may have to take off en masse to another location in the Universe at some point in the future.
Do I believe there are other life forms in the Universe? Absolutely, I do. As Mahen said "It is the height of human conceit" to think we are the only evolved species in the Universe. I am waiting for data from the X-Files to be revealed!
A few years ago, while driving around in a rather remote part of Sri Lanka, I was shown a flattened area in the landscape which seemed incongruent in that location. Local people apparently believe that this area was the landing site of a space ship, hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately, I cannot remember where this was, but as soon I find out I will share the information.
While we are on the subject of space travel and other life forms, I wonder if anyone has seen the movie "Arrival" starring Amy Adams (2016). It is not a sci-fi fantasy with special effects like the Star Wars movies. It is completely believable and was described by Jeffrey M. Anderson, a movie critic, as "deeply thoughtful, profoundly compassionate sci-fi movie beautifully mixes realism with a sense of wonder." It is definitely worth watching if you haven't seen it.