Space: the final frontier. […] To boldly go where no man has gone before! — Captain Kerk (William Shatner), Star Trek
Life, the Universe, and Everything
In the beginning…
For me to begin talking about the wonders of space, we have to go to the very beginning. The very, very beginning… of everything.
Everything begins with the prevailing model to explain the existence of the universe as we know it, the Big Bang Theory. No, not the sitcom.
In short, the theory describes how the expansion of the universe all started from an initial state of high density and temperature. What does this mean? Basically, it means that the entire universe was created billions of years ago from a single point in a rapid expansion of nearly infinite energy, as described by Merriam-Webster.
Everything we have, all life as we know it, is created from a single point in space and time, instantaneously. Or was it?
From a biblical standpoint, things are much different. I grew up in a Christian family with Christian values and Christian beliefs.
In the Bible, in Genesis 1, it is laid out:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
That is what we were taught to believe, and I did and still do, however, as a man who also believes in science, is there a middle ground? Commonly, science and the Bible differ and have for years, but that doesn’t mean they can’t argue the same point.
Genesis 1 continues with:
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light…”
See? Right there it is.
And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light…”
To me, that sort of sounds like the Bible is describing a popular theory… The Big Bang.
Steven Ball, Ph.D. explored the idea of the Big Bang Theory from his perspective, as a Christian physicist.
In his paper, he describes how the Big Bang Theory is simply “a framework for understanding the testimony of the heavens…”. Without going into every aspect he describes, the overall idea is that even science is confirming the validity of the Bible.
So, why do I bring this up? I feel that this illustrates the wonders of our infinite galaxy, all starting with how it was created, to begin with. We have yet to confirm how the universe was created, only theories and beliefs. Yet, the wonder keeps us attracted.
All Life on Earth… and beyond?
Our beautiful planet, the one we call Earth, houses 7.753 billion people (as of 2020). That is a lot of people. A lot of life.
Now, with all those lives, why here? Why on Earth? That right there is why I believe in this one thing. Aliens do exist.
The chances of all life to ever exist in the universe to be on one planet in an infinitely expanding galaxy full of terrestrial bodies is nearly impossible to me. So who’s to say that somewhere out there, maybe millions of light-years away, isn’t another lifeform?
The real wonder comes in describing them, however. Are they bipedal? Are they green? Are they sea creatures? Are they technologically advanced? Can they fly? The list goes on. I do, however, feel like there is one more important question… Are they friendly?
One Planet, Two Planet, Red Planet, Blue Planet
Going along with the same idea of having another lifeform out in our universe, is there another Earth?
Based on a finding by the Kepler Space Telescope in 2015, there is another Earth-like planet (source). The planet is known as Kepler-452b, also known as Earth 2.0 or Earth’s cousin.
Now, is this planet habitable? That isn’t currently known. While the planet is Earth-like, it is receiving a little more energy than Earth and may have a runaway greenhouse effect. This means the planet would be unable to stay cool, therefore unable to have liquid water on the surface.
Although this one planet may not be habitable, the universe is endless. There has to be another somewhere. Maybe one that we could one day travel to and even colonize.
So, that could be a blue planet. But what about a red planet? What about the red planet?
I believe we will not only travel to Mars in our lifetime but that we will also colonize it.
If there is someone that will accomplish this, it’s Elon Musk and SpaceX.
One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind
In 1969, the world witnessed the seemingly impossible. The landing of a man on the moon. Since then, the Apollo mission has inspired countless souls to continue the efforts they started in leading the world into space travel and colonization.
If there was one company to grab hold of this idea the hardest, it’s SpaceX. SpaceX has led the industry in space travel these past few years, having launched astronauts from American soil to the ISS and back, landed rocket boosters post-launch, and more. The company, led by Elon Musk, has done everything it can to lead the industry in innovation and exploration.
Space is an environment of emptiness. It offers no possibility for natural adaptation to any living organism — and particularly not to the highly sophisticated creature, man. Yet man has the ability to resolve this paradox through his intellectual power and creative faculties. — Hubertus Strughold
With this pride that a company like SpaceX has, we will conquer the wonders of the universe. One small step at a time.
The Wonders of Space
We used to look up in the sky and wonder at our place in the stars. Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt. — Matthew M., Interstellar
What does space have to offer?
One of the most asked questions, often by people against space innovation, is “Why space?”. Specifically, “Why space when Earth could use our help?”.
This argument is honestly contradicting. By going to space, by innovating in space, we help Earth and the people that live on it. Space has a lot to offer, such as:
- Exomedicine (Study and exploration of medical solutions in zero-g)
- Advancement of faster transportation methods
- A nearly infinite supply of resources
- Help understand Earth and its planetary functions, like the atmosphere
The reason we should choose to explore space is for the wonders. The wonders of space are our future. Reaching for the stars encourages innovation.
Curiosity is the essence of our existence. — Gene Cernan
Dusty Red Planet
Another question people may have about space exploration is why we should even travel to Mars.
While Mars may seem like it doesn’t have a lot to offer, it has more to offer than we think, especially in science.
It’s a fixer-upper of a planet, but we could make it work. — Elon Musk
Colonizing Mars opens the door to many other opportunities. For example, by colonizing Mars, we can have more research into unmanned rovers for other planets. There is also an economic interest in Mars’ resources, with the planet mostly being made of iron, nickel, and sulfur. In addition, colonizing the planet gets us one step closer to being able to colonize the solar system and eventually the galaxy, preventing human extinction in its process.
Mars may be a dusty old planet, but it will lead us into the future.
Visiting the Man on the Moon… again
As mentioned prior, in 1969 the world witnessed a man on the moon for the first time. Since then, man has been on the moon during six following missions. Due to this, it’s often asked, “Why do we need to return?”.
Well, for starters, the moon has numerous resources that could prove useful to the Earth, such as helium. Also, with space travel eventually becoming a new standard form of travel, lunar tourism could become the next big destination. Most importantly, lunar colonies will become a standard on the moon, serving as a part-way point for traveling to other planets in the solar system, such as Mars.
Regardless of how we use the moon in the near future, it will still prove to be useful for us in how we innovate for space and for our future.
Unidentified Flying Object
One of the biggest wonders of them all… the unidentified... the flying… the objects.
Seriously though, UFOs have been one of the most wondrous things to have ever existed. From old stories to potential modern-day interactions. The biggest question of them all is, are they real or just people with a wild imagination?
Personally, I think some could be real, but not all. This is mainly due to some people getting more imaginative with the spread of social media. If one saw something, they all did. That’s not to say they’re lying, but they may be in such true belief that what they saw was not real.
That being said, I do believe some sightings could be real when you consider the fact that I mentioned earlier. The chances of us being the only living creatures in the universe… slim.
I think it’s also important to remember the term “UFO”. UFO means “Unidentified Flying Object”, nowhere does that say “alien” or “extraterrestrial”. It is quite easy for a UFO to actually be a UFO, a flying object that nobody knows what it could be. Sometimes, this may be a weather balloon, a satellite crashing into the ocean, or anything, not necessarily alien.
No matter if it’s identified, unidentified, alien, or not, the wonder is still there. Without wonder, without curiosity, without having something to look forward to, there is no innovation.
So Empty, Yet So Full
The Connection
From wondering if we’re the only ones and how we got here to where can we go now. Space has brought some real innovation and wonder to the table.
Interstellar space is so vast and empty, but yet… it’s so, so full. Full of wonder. Full of innovation. Full of pride… joy… passion… and excitement! Full of… connection. The universe, as empty as it is, is full of connection. Our connection to space. Our connection to science and technology. Our connection… to each other.
That connection is so important when we live in a world as separated as today, from politics to pandemics. We have to hold onto that idea; the idea that in a place so empty, it’s still full of wonder to connect us all.
