Zheng He's lessons for the space age
Throughout human history, the distant lights in the sky have been a source of wonder and mystery. There have been various explanations: perhaps the sun is wheeled across the night sky by the solar goddess Shiho?(Chinese Folklore), Maybe the sun and moon are husband and wife, and their family includes the stars (Efik Ibihio people of Nigeria)? Due to advanced telescopes and even robotic spacecraft it is long proven that the moon is not home to a giant rabbit (Chinese legend), but is a lump of rock suspended 380,000 kilometres above the Earth. For many, this is the extent of the universe, now that we have determined that the sun is not rolled across the heavens by a scarab beetle(Egyptian Mythology), many believe that any further exploration of the universe is a black hole for tax payers' money. I strongly disagree with this view because these discoveries have only spawned more questions, and the only way to discover extraterrestrial life, the origins of the universe and even another habitable planet is to continue funding space exploration. Astrophysicist Giuseppe Cocconi aptly sums up this view: 'The probability of success is difficult to estimate; but if we never search the chance of success is zero'.
NASA's 2016 budget for space exploration is 19.3 billion dollars. This seems like a huge amount, but when America spent 1,776 billion dollars on its military in the same year, the space exploration budget seems a lot smaller, especially when each day of waging war in Afghanistan cost the American taxpayer 500 million dollars. This means that NASA’s annual budget is less than the cost of 35 days of war in Afghanistan, and accounts for just 0.645% of the American government's annual expenditure. Critics of space exploration who claim NASA is a waste of money and that funds could be spent much better elsewhere, have to realise that when NASA’s budget is put into perspective it seems rather infinitesimal. By funding more NASA ventures, huge breakthroughs could be made. A tiny bump in NASA finances preceded the discovery of liquid water on Mars, one of the greatest discoveries of the Twenty First Century. Therefore, the government should readjust their budget, and expend taxpayer money on projects, such as space programs, which will pay dividends to those who finance it. This boost in space funds should be obtained from cutting futile projects such as war.
Putting costs aside, space exploration has yielded priceless benefits. It is man’s nature to explore his surroundings, and it is surely natural that after the oceans, the poles and the mountains, man’s uncontainable curiosity will take him beyond the planet and to what lies beyond. This is illustrated by the fact that men such as Neil Armstrong are hailed in the same revered manner as acclaimed European explorers. Another parallel can be drawn between the archaic explorers and those of the space age; their exploits could bring great wealth, not just to their people, but the entire planet. For example, Plant 55 Canceri E, is not composed of granite and iron, but of granite and diamond. Imagine the possibility of harnessing these vast resources, especially in an age where it is becoming more evident than ever that our reserves of raw materials are finite.
Space sceptics often assert that space exploration is unnecessarily dangerous, and motivated by politics and not by the good of the people. The huge danger of space travel invalidates this argument, because astronauts know the risks of space travel and their willingness to sacrifice their lives for further knowledge of space, despite the huge risk that rocket launches entails, emphasises just how important space exploration is, both economically and physiologically.
Space exploration undoubtedly benefits society both directly and indirectly. Direct benefits include: solar panels; implanted heart rate monitors; smaller, quicker computing components; search and rescue systems; lighter, stronger materials for aviation; implanted diabetic treatment; better relationships between countries cooperating in space travel, and more scientific knowledge. Indirect benefits of exploring space include: inspiration because of discoveries made in space; advanced medicines are created due to research on the International Space Station; the establishment of new markets, such as the commercial space industry, valued at 230 billion dollars because of support and innovations by NASA, and the fulfilment of our inherent curiosity. Without such discoveries, giant technological leaps for mankind such as advanced water filtration technologies would never have occurred.
Possibly the greatest innovation derived from space travel is the satellite. Satellites are used for a variety of purposes and have become essential to how we live life today. Satellite telephones have enabled communication from anywhere on my Earth. They have also revolutionised navigation. Satellite images can provide accurate, up-to date maps and GPS can provide your location anywhere in the world. Military satellites have changed the dynamics of warfare, as anywhere on Earth can be surveyed, effectively eradicating surprise attacks. This same capability means that we can forecast the weather accurately and predict natural disasters. Innovation in space has been one of the main causes for increased agricultural capacity, and the advance warnings from metrological satellites are the primary reason for less fatalities from natural disasters.
Renowned British cosmologist Stephen Hawking believes that our existence as a species is limited by the fact that we have not colonised other worlds. In a lecture in Los Angeles, he claimed that humanity 'would likely not survive another 1000 years, without escaping beyond 'our fragile planet'. He is undoubtedly right; all of humankind being concentrated in one manned spaceship, hurtling through the empty void of space, places us at huge risk of extinction, either by an armageddon scenario; involving an asteroid wiping out all life on earth, or through our own self destructive habits.
The notion of self destruction, is one that has been explored by a number of great minds. In 1966, astrophysicist Carl Sagan speculated that there are no observable alien civilisations, because it is intelligent life's tendency to annihilate themselves when weapons of mass destruction have been developed. This theory has been touted as the solution to the Fermei Paradox (the puzzle of why we have not encountered alien life, despite the huge probability of advanced species existing). This is especially worrying now, as we are in possession of nuclear and biological weapons capable of precipitating a cataclysmic mass extinction. On a more positive note, Sagan also predicted that if intelligent life master their destructive urges, and are capable of interstellar travel, they are likely to survive for billion year time scales.
The final word goes to the Chinese explorers of the 15th century, and the wisdom of history. The Ming Dynasty had the resources and maritime expertise to become explorers; Chinese Admiral Zheng He had 317 ships and 27,000 sailors. His ships were 10 times larger than even the biggest of Christopher Columbus' ships. Columbus had just 17 ships with 1,500 sailors. The Chinese explored much of South East Asia, the Persian Gulf and the East Coast of Africa. Despite this discovery, the Ming Emperors; much like the anti-space protesters today, decided that exploration was a waste of money and that the nation had other priorities. While the Chinese sealed themselves inside their own borders, Europe lead the way in exploration, despite the Chinese having state revenues almost 100 times greater than those of Portugal. European nations such as Portugal explored, and were able to conquer much of the globe, because of the resources and innovations that they gained from such ventures. By isolating themselves from the outside world, the Chinese condemned themselves to be discovered and conquered by a more advanced nation.
NASA's 2016 budget for space exploration is 19.3 billion dollars. This seems like a huge amount, but when America spent 1,776 billion dollars on its military in the same year, the space exploration budget seems a lot smaller, especially when each day of waging war in Afghanistan cost the American taxpayer 500 million dollars. This means that NASA’s annual budget is less than the cost of 35 days of war in Afghanistan, and accounts for just 0.645% of the American government's annual expenditure. Critics of space exploration who claim NASA is a waste of money and that funds could be spent much better elsewhere, have to realise that when NASA’s budget is put into perspective it seems rather infinitesimal. By funding more NASA ventures, huge breakthroughs could be made. A tiny bump in NASA finances preceded the discovery of liquid water on Mars, one of the greatest discoveries of the Twenty First Century. Therefore, the government should readjust their budget, and expend taxpayer money on projects, such as space programs, which will pay dividends to those who finance it. This boost in space funds should be obtained from cutting futile projects such as war.
Putting costs aside, space exploration has yielded priceless benefits. It is man’s nature to explore his surroundings, and it is surely natural that after the oceans, the poles and the mountains, man’s uncontainable curiosity will take him beyond the planet and to what lies beyond. This is illustrated by the fact that men such as Neil Armstrong are hailed in the same revered manner as acclaimed European explorers. Another parallel can be drawn between the archaic explorers and those of the space age; their exploits could bring great wealth, not just to their people, but the entire planet. For example, Plant 55 Canceri E, is not composed of granite and iron, but of granite and diamond. Imagine the possibility of harnessing these vast resources, especially in an age where it is becoming more evident than ever that our reserves of raw materials are finite.
Space sceptics often assert that space exploration is unnecessarily dangerous, and motivated by politics and not by the good of the people. The huge danger of space travel invalidates this argument, because astronauts know the risks of space travel and their willingness to sacrifice their lives for further knowledge of space, despite the huge risk that rocket launches entails, emphasises just how important space exploration is, both economically and physiologically.
Space exploration undoubtedly benefits society both directly and indirectly. Direct benefits include: solar panels; implanted heart rate monitors; smaller, quicker computing components; search and rescue systems; lighter, stronger materials for aviation; implanted diabetic treatment; better relationships between countries cooperating in space travel, and more scientific knowledge. Indirect benefits of exploring space include: inspiration because of discoveries made in space; advanced medicines are created due to research on the International Space Station; the establishment of new markets, such as the commercial space industry, valued at 230 billion dollars because of support and innovations by NASA, and the fulfilment of our inherent curiosity. Without such discoveries, giant technological leaps for mankind such as advanced water filtration technologies would never have occurred.
Possibly the greatest innovation derived from space travel is the satellite. Satellites are used for a variety of purposes and have become essential to how we live life today. Satellite telephones have enabled communication from anywhere on my Earth. They have also revolutionised navigation. Satellite images can provide accurate, up-to date maps and GPS can provide your location anywhere in the world. Military satellites have changed the dynamics of warfare, as anywhere on Earth can be surveyed, effectively eradicating surprise attacks. This same capability means that we can forecast the weather accurately and predict natural disasters. Innovation in space has been one of the main causes for increased agricultural capacity, and the advance warnings from metrological satellites are the primary reason for less fatalities from natural disasters.
Renowned British cosmologist Stephen Hawking believes that our existence as a species is limited by the fact that we have not colonised other worlds. In a lecture in Los Angeles, he claimed that humanity 'would likely not survive another 1000 years, without escaping beyond 'our fragile planet'. He is undoubtedly right; all of humankind being concentrated in one manned spaceship, hurtling through the empty void of space, places us at huge risk of extinction, either by an armageddon scenario; involving an asteroid wiping out all life on earth, or through our own self destructive habits.
The notion of self destruction, is one that has been explored by a number of great minds. In 1966, astrophysicist Carl Sagan speculated that there are no observable alien civilisations, because it is intelligent life's tendency to annihilate themselves when weapons of mass destruction have been developed. This theory has been touted as the solution to the Fermei Paradox (the puzzle of why we have not encountered alien life, despite the huge probability of advanced species existing). This is especially worrying now, as we are in possession of nuclear and biological weapons capable of precipitating a cataclysmic mass extinction. On a more positive note, Sagan also predicted that if intelligent life master their destructive urges, and are capable of interstellar travel, they are likely to survive for billion year time scales.
The final word goes to the Chinese explorers of the 15th century, and the wisdom of history. The Ming Dynasty had the resources and maritime expertise to become explorers; Chinese Admiral Zheng He had 317 ships and 27,000 sailors. His ships were 10 times larger than even the biggest of Christopher Columbus' ships. Columbus had just 17 ships with 1,500 sailors. The Chinese explored much of South East Asia, the Persian Gulf and the East Coast of Africa. Despite this discovery, the Ming Emperors; much like the anti-space protesters today, decided that exploration was a waste of money and that the nation had other priorities. While the Chinese sealed themselves inside their own borders, Europe lead the way in exploration, despite the Chinese having state revenues almost 100 times greater than those of Portugal. European nations such as Portugal explored, and were able to conquer much of the globe, because of the resources and innovations that they gained from such ventures. By isolating themselves from the outside world, the Chinese condemned themselves to be discovered and conquered by a more advanced nation.
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