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Space: the Final Frontier

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SPACE: The Final Frontier

Space, the final frontier. For years man has been fascinated with the vast, boundless, emptiness that surrounds and cradles our miniscule planet. Although it’s difficult to determine exactly what got me hooked on space exploration, I know it’s mainly about the discovery of things past-unknown to myself, or even the world. The technological and mechanical aspects very much intrigue me as well, in addition to it’s ability to bring many rivals together at a temporary truce for the sake of discovering something for all of mankind.
Every kid has spend at least one day of their life looking up at the sky and thinking “I wonder what it’s like up there.” Maybe even wishing you could one day go up there and see for yourself. I had these childhood days, and still occasionally do. I ask myself, “What have we not discovered yet?” and “When will we make the next breakthrough of discovery, and how will that affect us as mankind?” I may think to myself and get lost in the concept that there is so much yet undiscovered to humans. Science has always been a strong-point of mine, as it is a subject built around, and constructed upon the basis of discovery. It comes as a surprise to many why we know so little about something that is so vast and limitless, not to mention something we are completely surrounded by! Space is incredibly , for lack of a better word, alien, to us. Some may argue that we know a lot about the universe outside the bounds of our earth’s atmosphere, but comparatively, we know nothing.
In addition to the concept of discovery, I’ve always loved complex machines and concepts. The feeling of sitting in front of a control panel lined with various displays, buttons, and readouts. Any of which could do many hundreds of things, with millions of different outcomes. It’s a feeling of overwhelming control and confusion that I enjoy. The spacecraft used by agencies such as NASA and SpaceX are some of the most incomprehensibly complicated machines ever built by man. The Saturn IV Launch Vehicle and the later Saturn V Rocket were the vehicles utilized by the Apollo missions that eventually landed man on the moon. These were the most complicated machines ever built by mankind. even with the, now seemingly primitive, technology of that time, these contraptions were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible. The idea that flipping a switch on a control panel could activate one of hundreds of possible systems, all crammed in something that is thrown into orbit is astounding.
The ISS, or International Space Station, is a melting pot of global cooperation between many long time rivals to accomplish a single goal. The station is currently composed of many parts flown into space on the backs of many people on many missions. Some of the first parts to be assembled on the station were parts designed, built, and launched by two long time rival nations. The United States and The Soviet Union. During the time when a large modular space station was still a crazy idea on a chalkboard, the Soviets and Americans were at war. Both sides even competed against each other in the “Space Race”, to prove who can accomplish more in less time. The idea that these two long-term rival nations could put aside their differences to cooperate for one common goal is something that does not exist enough in the world today. Despite the struggle for power and political turmoil, the space agencies of these competitors were able to succeed in docking the first several modules together to form the base for what is now the second most recognizable feat in space engineering. Second only to the moon landing.
These are only beginning to explain my love for space exploration, many other reasons I don’t even understand. The discovery, mechanical complexity, and ability to being together people to a single cooperative entity are simply a few reasons why I chose space exploration.

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