Benefits of Space Exploration
Welcome to another Lefteris Asks science newsletter! Every Wednesday I share news that I find interesting from the world of science and academia. I do my best to write small explanations about them and start a discussion. If you found this newsletter online and want to get them right in your inbox you can subscribe using the cute button below! It’s free!
I am still vacationing in Greece, and even though there are many issues in Greece we still get the news here. Of course, the news about the first image coming out of the James Webb space telescope did reach the country and I was excited, and in awe while looking at the deepest space picture we’ve ever managed to shoot. The amount of information contained in these images is enormous and this is only the beginning since the telescope is planned to be operational for the next 20 years.
As it turns out, today 20th of July is also Space Exploration Day (for our fellow Americans) and the topic of the newsletter fits the news perfectly (almost). Today, with the Carina Nebula in the background I thought it would be a great idea to honor Space Exploration Day wherever we are. In the beginning, reaching space was very clearly a politically motivated move, however, the benefits of space exploration have been numerous. What about if we spend the next few minutes discussing advances that happened because of our endless curiosity to see what is out there?
Space exploration and health care
Indeed, much of the understanding we have about the human body comes from astronauts. For example, due to microgravity, isolation, and radiation, they experience changes in their bodies that are very similar to aging or those that don’t move around a lot. Due to that experience and research, we have developed solutions for people with cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and more.
Furthermore, when an astronaut needs medical assistance when they are in space the only way they could get a diagnosis is through telemedicine. The success or failure of a mission is based on the good health of the people on the space stations so methods for telemedicine have been tested extensively. Of course, we use telemedicine here, especially in some areas where access to medical professionals is hard (Although, access to medical professionals should be easy for everyone, but that’s a different story.) Lastly (for this newsletter at least), through constant testing of the astronaut’s hearts before, during, and after a mission, engineers have managed to create heart pumps that help people survive while waiting for heart transplants.
Space and planet earth health monitoring
I think I have mentioned in this newsletter before that there is a climate crisis in the world. (Checks notes) yeah, it’s still happening. Satellites are one of our main sources of information about climate change. You can take a look at a list of satellites and space crafts that NASA is using at the moment and see the amount of information we get about temperature, CO₂ levels sea levels, and much more.
Additionally, there are satellites that monitor changes in natural resources, promote responsible use of land, and through GPS systems detect movements of some species of animals that would signal a significant change in biodiversity.
And on the subject of using satellites to monitor changes in the climate, the constant monitoring of large forested areas, and seas can give us a warning about forest fires or natural disasters heading our way.
Space and human safety
While it may initially seem like I'm talking about aliens, that’s not necessarily true. While satellites do help us monitor incoming asteroids just in case, there are other advancements in human safety that have happened because of our curiosity to be in outer space. Heat-resistant suits have been developed by NASA for astronauts but they are also useful for firefighters.
Additionally, for humanitarian reasons people have used satellites in vastly different contexts. In 2011, Amnesty International saw the vast growth of political prisoner camps in North Korea, the United Nations Satellite Centre monitored the Ebola treatment center construction in West Africa, and also confirm numerous people from the Yazidi minority that were stranded on a mountain in Iraq.
Lastly, one of the things I read about during my Ph.D. research had to do with vibration absorbers that are being used in outer space. As you can imagine during lift-off and landing shuttles are under extreme stress due to vibrations. And of course, after lift-off and landing the shuttles still need to be functional so there has been a lot of research and development for shock absorbers. Many of those dampers that have been developed for space missions have found their way into our buildings, bridges, and other constructions that require some sort of earthquake proofing.
Space and inspiration
Of course, there are more things that we could talk about at length. We already talked about how technological innovation has helped us live in this world and there are more things that I didn’t mention (Solar panels, water purifiers, cancer treatments, and more). But there is the cultural and inspirational aspect of space exploration that is a huge benefit for humankind.
We always have questions about our place in the universe and by looking into outer space we come closer to answering those questions. At the same time, by promoting these activities we inspire young people from all over the world to follow a career in science and engineering. By cultivating minds to dream big we expand the limits of human reach and maybe even reach a point where we can think about moving to a different planet. Hopefully, by thinking about exploring outer space, we get to resolve issues we have on our planet so that we can live in that Star Trek universe some of us dream of.
Any more news?
People in academia are constantly coming up with new and exciting things so if you need more to quench your curiosity here are some more headlines.
Youth transgender study shows persistence in identity after social transition, by American Academy of Pediatrics
New Record for Strongest Magnetic Field in Universe: More Than 1.6 Billion Tesla, by SciTechDaily
Software Piracy Can Mitigate Poverty, by TechTheLead
That’s all for this week! I hope that the rest of the week will be calm and rewarding. Did you like this newsletter? If you did you can subscribe to it at the top of the page and why not share it around using this sexy little button here
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Until next week… take care and be kind [=