Space Station
Finally "the next logical Step"? If America plans to continue
its
space exploration program, the question that must be asked next is:
"Where
do we go from here?" America has made major strides in space
exploration in
this century. We have built enormous rockets that can carry
three men and their
supplies to the moon and back. We have mastered the
physics that are involved in
shooting a rocket out of our atmosphere and
bringing the return capsule back
again. The next step in the space
exploration process should be to build an
orbiting space station. A space
station could be used to learn many things about
spending large amounts of
time in space. If man plans on further exploring the
vastness of space, we
must understand what the effect of space will be on our
bodies. Once we
understand this concept, then we can start engineering projects
that can send
humans far out into space. A space station in orbit around the
earth will
also teach us about what preparations will need to be made when we
decide to
set up a colony on the moon. The only way we can learn about these
things is
if we experiment with them in a space station. How could we know what
to
expect when we start colonizing the moon if we don't first simulate
the
experience in a controlled environment? The space station will also serve
as a
stopping point for future missions out into space. The station could be
used
like a pit stop in space where astronauts could refuel and make any
necessary
repairs before starting their journey into outer space. This will
prove very
useful since there is a limit to how much fuel can be carried on
board a rocket
leaving earth because of gravity. There would be no weight
restrictions out in
space and the amount of fuel needed for a long trip out
into space will no
longer be as much of a problem. NASA has been hoping to
build a space station
since the end of the Apollo program. Interestingly
enough is that Werner Von
Braun is a very enthusiastic proponent of a
space station. According to Sam
Hoffman, Von Braun felt that "the
missiles and other things were just steps
along the way [to a space station.]
It is very interesting to me that Von Braun
would be such an advocate of the
space station when he himself has always been
more interested in rockets. He
must feel that he had to invent a way to get out
into space before he could
start to design a way to live out in space. To Von
Braun a space station
seemed to be the next logical step in space exploration.
First we proved
to ourselves that we could safely send men and equipment out
into space and
bring them back safely then we start to figure out a way to stay
out in
space. An alternative to a space station could be to spend more money
on
projects developing rockets that run on nuclear fission and nuclear
fusion.
These rockets would be much more powerful than the conventional
rockets used
today. With this new rocket technology, it would be possible to
send rockets out
to the moon in a single stage. These new rockets would open
up many new doors in
space exploration. A major advocate of these new rockets
is retired NASA
engineer Homer H. Hickam Jr. In his opinion, we are "losing
ground in the
highly competitive launch industry." He believes that NASA
should not spend
so much money on its International Space Station and start
devoting more time
and effort to bigger and better rockets. America needs to
continue to dominate
space exploration and one way to do it is to develop
more powerful rockets. An
enormous space station built and designed by NASA
orbiting the earth would send
a message to the rest of the world that America
is a leader. It seems to be the
next logical step to me. I believe that space
exploration needs to move toward
people essentially living in space. I would
like to see people living on the
moon in my lifetime. I don't think that this
is such a hard task to achieve
because we have already shown that we can send
men and supplies there and back.
Also there are bio-spheres out in the
deserts of the West that are working on
designing environments that can exist
without an atmosphere like the one here on
earth. They use plants to provide
food and oxygen for humans. They are close to
developing a way for humans to
live on the moon. A stepping stone to colonizing
the moon is a space station.
The space station will teach us a great deal about
life in space and will be
a great asset. I also think that at the same time NASA
should allocate some
of its resources to other programs like developing more
powerful rockets. I
believe that both areas can be given enough attention that
both projects
could eventually be completed successfully. In conclusion, I am
glad that
NASA has chosen to build an International Space Station because I
believe it
will be very beneficial to space exploration and to America as well.