From the moon to Mars.. the development of space technologies to explore the universe
Since ancient times, man has been looking at the sky and dreaming of space. The day came when this dream came true, in the second half of the twentieth century. Powerful missiles were developed to help achieve this dream, as these missiles were able to overcome the force of gravity and reach orbital speeds.
By the beginning of the 1930s and 1940s, Nazi Germany recognized the value of long-range missiles as weapons, and they were actually used during World War II. After the war ended, the United States and the Soviet Union began developing their own missile programs. Thus, space exploration has become a distant and achievable dream.
So, what are the most prominent technologies used by man to explore space, and how were space technologies affected by scientific and technological development, and what are the most important achievements made by man in developing space technologies?
The first step
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union succeeded in launching the first satellite in history, “Sputnik 1”, into space, and almost four years later, on April 12, 1961, Russian Lieutenant Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly He orbited the Earth in a spacecraft called “Vostok 1”, and his journey took about 108 minutes, reaching a height of 327 km.
For its part, the United States launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit on January 31, 1958, and in 1961, American pilot Alan Shepard became the first American to defy gravity and reach space, and one year later Only on February 20, 1962, American pilot John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in a historic space flight.
Visitors to the Moon and beyond
In 1961, US President John F. Kennedy set an ambitious national goal of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.” Within a decade, and eight years later, astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon on July 20, 1969. This made him accomplish a "giant leap for mankind", and then, five more "Apollo" space missions were carried out to explore the moon between 1969 and 1972.
In the sixties, an unmanned spacecraft photographed and examined the moon before astronauts reached it, and by the early seventies, communications and orbital navigation satellites began to be used on a daily basis, and the “Mariner” spacecraft orbited and painted the surface of Mars, and at the end of the decade, the vehicle sent The Voyager satellite provided detailed images of Jupiter and Saturn, their moons and rings.
In the 1970s, “Skylab” was launched as the first American space station, and an internationally manned space mission was conducted between the United States and Russia with the “Apollo-Soyuz” test project.
In the 1980s, satellite communications expanded to include the transmission of television programs, and allowed people to pick up satellite signals using home dish antennas. Satellites revealed the ozone hole over Antarctica, identified forest fires, and provided us with pictures of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. In 1986, astronomical satellites also discovered new stars, and new windows opened for us to look at the center of our galaxy.
Eye on the universe
Space telescopes have developed greatly in recent decades, and this development has provided scientists and researchers with the opportunity to study and understand the universe better. Here are some of the most popular and newest space telescopes.
Hubble telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most famous space telescopes, and it was launched in 1990. This telescope is characterized by its high accuracy in imaging, and it provided wonderful pictures of the universe, and it conducted many studies in fields such as astronomy, physics, chemistry, and biology.
James Webb Telescope
It is the most modern space telescope in the world, and it works in infrared and visible rays, and it is considered the successor to the famous “Hubble” telescope, and it was launched in December 20211. This telescope is the most powerful space science telescope ever built, and it is used to monitor space objects, stars, planets, dust and gases In space, it is also used to study the history and evolution of the universe. It consists of a main mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters.
Chandra Telescope
It is a space-based X-ray observatory that is considered the most powerful X-ray telescope, with 25 times greater sensitivity than its closest competitor, and uses high-energy particles instead of visible light; This enables scientists to photograph objects in space that cannot be seen with Hubble, and since its launch in 1999, Chandra has provided the world with detailed images of amazing celestial phenomena such as exploding stars.
Planck telescope
The Planck Space Telescope is a collaboration project between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It is dedicated to studying cosmic residual radiation (CMB), a thermal remnant from the Big Bang. Planck is used to measure the intensity and polarization of radio waves of the cosmic background. The Planck spacecraft, the results of four years of observations, have provided a more accurate standard model for cosmology, placing new constraints on the properties of potential dark matter candidates.
telescope fast
The Chinese Fast Telescope is the largest telescope that captures radio waves in the world, which is used in space research and the search for extraterrestrial life. The diameter of the telescope is 500 meters, and it has a reception area with an area equivalent to about 30 football fields.
sustainable rockets
Reusable rockets are rockets that can be recovered intact after launch and can be reused on later missions. Conventional rockets are designed to be used once and then discarded, making space launches very expensive.
On the other hand, reusable rockets can significantly reduce the cost of spaceflight by reducing the need to manufacture new rockets for each mission.
One of the most prominent reusable rockets is the SpaceX Falcon 9, which has been launched and landed successfully many times since its debut in 2015. The first stage of the rocket is capable of landing vertically on an unmanned ship, or on the ground, and can be reused for missions. In the future, companies such as “SpaceX”, “Blue Origin” and “United Launch Alliance” are among the most prominent companies working on this technology.
The development of sustainable rockets is an important step toward making space travel more accessible and affordable, as it enables space companies to reduce costs associated with spaceflight and focus on developing new technologies and capabilities for exploration beyond Earth's orbit.
Satellites
As we enter 2023, satellite launches still account for the majority of commercial space activity, and this is expected to continue. The concerns in this field are currently focused on achieving a lower cost of putting satellites into orbit, and increasing the number of use cases available for the data that can be obtained. The main uses of satellites are in providing GPS images, locating devices, and many other fields.
Thanks to the advancement of technology, satellites have become lighter and smaller in size, allowing startups to better exploit technological capabilities, and this can be seen through the launch of fully 3D printed satellites, and these satellites are designed to provide communication and communication solutions for Internet of Things devices, which are approved rapidly in homes and businesses around the world, which confirms that this technology is becoming more available and less expensive.
Mars invasion
Since man realized the existence of Mars in space, many scientists and engineers have directed their efforts to research and develop means to reach Mars. The planet has been studied extensively to determine the climatic, geological and environmental conditions and evaluate the feasibility of settlement on it. One of the most prominent efforts in this regard is the space missions sent by the US Space Agency (NASA) to Mars, where a series of missions and robots were launched to monitor the planet and collect information and samples. Among the most prominent of these missions.
Curiosity spacecraft
It is a NASA spacecraft, which is part of the agency's Mars program, and was launched in November 2011 AD, and landed on Mars in August 2012 AD, and its main goal is to study climate and geology and search for evidence of previous life on Mars. .
India, China and Russia also sent some missions to Mars to search for life and verify the presence of water on the planet's surface and in its interior, and although some of these missions failed to reach Mars, or suffered from technical problems, they represent important steps in efforts to detect About the secrets of Mars.
In addition, there are private companies that aim to send humans to Mars and colonize it, such as the company “SpaceX” owned by Elon Musk, and “SpaceX” seeks to develop missiles and spacecraft that can transport humans to Mars and return from it, and plans to launch the first A mission to send astronauts to Mars by 2024.
It should be noted that Mars missions face several challenges, including cost and technical challenges, as well as the impact of radiation and harsh environmental conditions on humans. However, hard work is being done to overcome these challenges and achieve a human dream of stability.
Space technologies, key to exploring the universe
Space technologies have developed greatly over the past decades, and these developments have enabled man to explore the depths of the universe and search for answers to many cosmic questions. From the moon to Mars, humanity has been able to launch successful exploratory missions to explore planets and other celestial bodies in the system. solar.
Thanks to space technologies, scientists have been able to uncover many cosmic secrets and impressive astronomical events, such as stellar explosions, black holes, quasars and distant galaxies. And there are still many interesting mysteries awaiting scientists in space.
However, space exploration comes with many challenges and difficulties, as it requires advanced technology, great energy, careful planning, and distinguished scientists and engineers. However, it can be said that the development of space technologies has brought about a radical change in the field of science and technology, and has provided the opportunity for man to explore and understand the universe in ways that have never been seen before. was not possible before.
In the end, it can be said that the development of space technologies and their use in exploring the universe is a huge technical and scientific achievement, and it represents one of the most important achievements of humanity ever. It remains to look to the future and use space technologies to learn more about the secrets of the universe and better understand it.
Source: websites