NASA has released a series of videos which explain the latest developments which they have been carrying out in regards to the prospects for traveling to Mars and beyond.
The videos show many different applications which are being worked on by NASA in order to ensure that human beings will never be sent into space under their own power; rather they will be using remote controlled capsules and spaceships. In this way, humans will not be leaving Earth and going into outer space as any sort of a luxury. It will be a reality instead – an eventuality which has been discussed since the inception of space travel.
There have been several previous missions that NASA has completed with great success. The first of these was the Viking mission in the 1970’s; this saw the landing of one of the first spacecrafts on Mars. This mission also paved the way for the development of one of the most important systems used today; the International Space Station (ISS). One of the biggest advantages of using the ISS is its ability to take control of the atmosphere of space and remain there for an entire year.
The system allows for the study of space weather, and is the largest structure ever built by NASA.
This leaves us with the question as to what we will do if we do not send humans to travel to space anytime soon. Will we send robotic probes to scout out the space and find all the minerals and resources waiting for us there?
Or, will we just rely on our technology to scout out places in the solar system where water and other materials may be found?
The answer to these questions is not easy; and NASA is just hoping that one day soon it might be able to answer them.
There are some areas which we do not understand quite yet, like the solar winds. It seems likely that we will eventually develop technology which will allow us to use the solar wind energy to power up travel. This will probably be one of the first applications of current technologies; and it is one of the most promising as well. Travel will become much easier when we have a way to keep astronauts well fed and hydrated. One day, we might even have the means to create oxygen for astronauts, which would open up the possibility of long space missions.
Of course, there will be quite a few obstacles to overcome before we can utilize current technologies to help us in our travels. First, we would have to figure out how to put these systems into space. Second, we would have to figure out how to protect them from space weather, such as solar flares. And third, we would need to learn how to send astronauts safely and continuously into space. Once these systems are successfully put into place, then we will have traveled a significant step toward opening up vast territories in outer space.
NASA is looking at new technologies for space travel which will enable people to travel faster and farther into the solar system and beyond. One such technology involves using a shock absorbing gel that could be placed within the hull of an astronaut’s capsule. When they were traveling inside the capsule, the shock absorbing gel would provide cushioning, so the astronauts wouldn’t bump their heads into hard space rocks and metal surfaces. Another option would be to coat the inside of the capsule with a protective gas, similar to an atmosphere.
This would allow the astronauts to breathe, which would make them faster and less likely to suffer asphyxia, or oxygen deprivation, while they were in space.
NASA also has a plan for sending astronauts on a one-way mission. It would start with an unmanned mission to test out this technology. After the unmanned test was successful, then a piloted mission would take off and return astronauts to the planet. NASA envisions that this one-way mission may not only be used for research, but for actual living and traveling conditions as well. Once this technology is perfected, NASA officials say that it would be possible to live and travel to other planets without having to land and take supplies from one.
If NASA has revealed the future of space travel, then that future is just about to come.
Who knows if we might soon see capsules that land on the moon and other space surfaces, and that would be amazing!
Current Space Travel Evaluation of Technology Plans
The Space Shuttle program brought much needed knowledge into the arena of current space travel. It also put the world into a position to learn how to live and work in space. The most recent Space Shuttle review and evaluation are focused on the future of human travel to the moon, and to destinations beyond. This review is an important milestone towards the eventual development of a permanent lunar base or colony.
The Space Shuttle program brought a huge investment by the United States Government. The program was also an example of American technological prowess. It is very expensive to launch large commercial vehicles into space. For that reason NASA needs to continually evaluate their existing programs as well as new technologies that will help them achieve this goal. The current Space Shuttle program is looking at how to replace the solid fuel rocket boosters, which have been in use for more than 40 years.
They are also studying new technologies that will allow them to build a permanent lunar base. There are a few different options for transporting crews to and from the moon. One of these options would be using crewed vehicles, similar to those used in the commercial space program. These vehicles would dock with the orbiting spacecraft and the astronauts would then be launched into orbit. There could also be an option where a lander would make a controlled landing and stay down for a short period of time.
Other options include using Lander units and tethers. Lander units are basically attached to the side of a vehicle. Tethers are attached to the top of a vehicle and these act as the foundation for crews to travel to and from the moon. Both of these technologies have some shortcomings. Perhaps the biggest shortcoming is that these systems can only carry a specific weight amount of equipment.
The current plan is to develop technologies that allow for crewed travel to the moon and to Mars. One way this will be achieved is by developing new ways to launch human explorers to the moon and then send them on a one way mission to Mars. There will need to be a means for astronauts to travel to Mars. Another option will be using a VASIMR or Very Largelatable Spacecraft (VASTROM) which is basically a giant inflatable rubber ball. Once it is inflated, astronauts will be able to ride it to space. Eventually, humans may even want to base their entire planet on VASTROMs.
While these two types of plans will work, it will also be necessary to find a way to get people from Earth to the red planet. Currently, the best way to do this is using space taxis. These vehicles would use boosters to push people and cargo to destinations within our solar system. Although this technology sounds great, there are also some flaws with this system.
First off, we don’t have a way to replace any of the human component components in such a vehicle, which means that they would essentially be replacing them with computers. The other problem is that it would be very difficult to get these things to Mars using only rocket fuel. It’s not guaranteed that humans can survive to the end of this journey.
The current US Administration is currently looking to fund studies that will attempt to find better means of transporting people and supplies into space. Part of these studies will include looking at the use of a VASTROM type of planning. Another alternative might be using airbags on spacesuits that will create a force field that would slow or completely deflate any type of spacecraft. One interesting idea that wasn’t covered in the current article would be using air bags to help with cushioning during landings.
Provided by Antonio Westley
Disclaimer: This article is meant to be seen as an overview of this subject and not a reflection of viewpoints or opinions as nothing is definitive. So, make sure to do your research and feel free to use this information at your own discretion.