Science is filled with legendary discoveries and monumental research, with a long list of Nobel Prize winners to document these findings. Arguably one of the most amazing moments in science was in 1957, when Sputnik 1 was launched into the Earth’s orbit. It seemed, and still does seem, amazing that scientists were able to create such amazing technology that could perhaps lead the way to hundreds or thousands more discoveries in the future. Unfortunately, like many other scientific fields, space travel, astronomical discoveries, and astrobiology come at a cost.
Space travel is simply amazing. To think that 45 years ago, when technology was nowhere near as advanced as it is today, there were still people walking the moon for the first time. NASA truly didn’t know if the space craft would even reach the moon safely, and they had no idea if it would all work out for the best. But the thirst for scientific knowledge prevailed, and they launched the mission anyways. Not only is this extremely significant to the field of science, but the sheer bravery displayed by the three astronauts involved is extremely admirable. The possibilities of this field of science are endless; the discovery of new planets, new life forms, and possibly future homes for human beings are all on the line right now. One of the current projects being worked on by biologists is determining if plants could be a sufficient source of oxygen for human beings on other planets, and if so, how many plants would be required to keep large numbers of people alive. Space exploration and astrobiology are definitely areas of science worth pursuing.
On the other hand, space travel comes with its controversies. The risk of contaminating other planets and life forms or of returning contaminants into the Earth’s atmosphere are ever-present. Since astrobiology is primarily a field of discovery at this point, with no huge databases to refer to, much of these explorations are left to chance. Biologists are working towards finding ways to completely disinfect astronauts’ suits when they leave and enter the space craft, and that will be necessary until some questions about space travel are answered.
In short, there have been a lot of interesting points of discovery in the field of space exploration in the past, and I’m sure there will be many more amazing findings in the future. However, I just hope NASA and other organizations take care not to disturb ecosystems (if they exist) on other planets and also not to bring back alien pathogens to Earth. Time will tell if exploring extraterrestrial life will be a friendly, E.T. type of experience, or more of a Signs situation.
discoveringtheuniverse 