TWC Group Web Report

History and Background of Space Exploration

Introduction

Motivations for Space Activity

Major Milestones

Pioneers of Space Travel

1. Johannes Kepler
2. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857 – 1935)
3. Isaac Newton
4. Building the First Rockets-Robert Goddard
5. Convincing the World-Hermann Oberth
6. Taking Man into Space-Wernher Von Braun
7. First Man into Space-Yuri Gagarin
8. First American into Space-Alan Shepard
9. First American in Orbit-John Glenn
10. First Man on Moon-Neil Armstrong
11. Second Man on the Moon-Buzz Aldrin

Also Include the Timeline- Key Dates in the History of Space Exploration 

Space Techonology

How does it work?

• Video

Rocket Propulsion

• What is a rocket?
• Different rocket propellants

Ground launch

• What is ground launch (video)
• Dragon X (Rocket Falcon 9) (video)
• Specifications of Dragon X & Falcon 9
• Statistics & Flight plans

Air launch

• What is air launch (video)
• Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2 (video)
• Brief description of its development
• Specifications
• Innovative features
• Flight plans

Pros

Cheaper in time to come for consumers to go into space

• Privatisation drives competition, Competition drives innovation

• Richard Branson setting up Virgin Galatics
• Emergence of other spaceship providers

• Consequently better, safer, cheaper technologies for space travel are created

• Spaceships that are reuseable

Improve International Ties

• “ International community together in an activity that pits man against the cosmos.”
•  Lower Cost of travelling due to cooperation
• More money for humanitarian efforts and social spendings

Life without gravity

• Weightlessness (travelling with a harness on a fixed point)
• Space hygiene (showering, cleaning, laundry, dental)
• Exercising (to reduce the effect of weightnessless)
• Space cuisine

New Travel Options

• Travellers can enjoy a 3 day suborbital flight, overseeing the curves of the Earth
•  Compare the difference to the contemporary trends of travelling

Opportunities for exploration in search of alternate resources

• The Earth is using up non-renewable resources at an increasing rate
•   Show some impact of the damage
•   Possible alternative resources found on other planets

Cons

The following issues have been discussed under the given topic:

• Health hazards
• Current astronauts
• Prospective space tourists
• Space junk
• What is it?
• Real-life examples
• Geopolitical issues
• Current regulatory framework
• Air traffic management in the future
• Ethical issues
• Competing priorities
• Non-proliferation of military technology
• Issues regarding commercializing/ claiming property in space
• References

Future Prospects

Future ways to get up there:

1.     Bloon your way up to near space(36km high) instead by 2013

Future prospects to stay up there:

1.     Stay up on space, in space hotel- room with a view (2016)

2.     Orbital flight/cruise ship

3.     Lunar resort

Satellites and planetary expeditions:

1.     Dark side of the moon

2.     Mars (by 2030)

Others:

1.     Space burial

2.     The new airport is the spaceport-proliferation of spaceports in the future

3.     Intercontinental flights at a fraction of the time