Now we can get into the fun part of machines; the ones we use today for the exploration of space.  Don’t cheat, go back and read yesterday’s post for the history primer.  I’ll wait.

Okay, you done?  Great.

Obviously, we talk a lot about some of the machines commonly used today on the blog.  We talk about telescopes past and present, about the rovers, the Voyager crafts, Cassini, Messenger, even Mariner 10.  But mostly we talk about the results, not the machines themselves.  Unless you want a 10-part series in this, I’ll have to just give you a fast over-view of the machines we know so well today, so buckle up.

NASA/ESA - Space Shuttle Discovery Launches at start of STS-120

Starting with the Space Shuttles, did you ever stop to think that our astronauts are sitting in a very complicated machine, strapped to a rocket?  A rocket is nothing but a sustained explosion which happens in one direction (we hope).  There they are, sitting on top of a rocket, getting shot into space at 17,000 mph+.  As I’ve mentioned before, I bet they don’t get many solicitors from insurance companies knocking on their doors.  Can you imagine filling out the questionnaire?  “How far do you travel to your work site?”   The Shuttle itself is a vehicle, but it’s also a science lab, an environment, and a home.  It must carry everything with it; not the least its fuel and the oxygen needed for combustion.  It must have a place for food, water, oxygen, equipment, even clothing for the passengers.  The Shuttle is a machine that takes a human from a place where they can survive to a place where they cannot without some seriously expensive equipment.  It keeps them alive, then returns them safely through the hazard of reentry (usually).

The Mars Rovers are vehicles which we designed to work for us, far away from us, in a place where again we cannot yet survive.  They are also little mobile science labs.  They collect and analyze data, then broadcast the information back to us.  When something goes wrong, they are designed to analyze themselves and try to correct the problem, or broadcast to us what’s wrong.  Into an environment about which we knew comparatively little at the time, we had no assurances that the rovers would even be able to function.  We were pretty sure, but not certain.  Now we are certain.

NASA - Mariner 10, now circling the sun

Being so far from us that we have no hope of ever recovering them, the Voyager space crafts are still sending scientific data back to us.  Voyager also is designed to detect problems with itself.  If something happens, Voyager severs contact with us and begins diagnostic analysis.  If possible, it will correct whatever problem has arisen, reestablish contact, and continue on.  As you can imagine, we wouldn’t be much use to the little space crafts if anything happened to them, like getting middled by an asteroid.  By the time we knew it was about to get hit, it would have been hit.

The International Space Station is an amazing machine which also functions as a home, a workplace, a laboratory, a total environment, and an entertainment center.  One thing it’s not is a vehicle.  If it malfunctions catastrophically, the people on board don’t have anywhere to go.  It is one of those machines which must be kept functioning at all costs.  It is designed to provide for the physical and psychological needs of its passengers.  You know, if all you have is work, sleep, eat, and nowhere to go, some serious distraction must be provided or the human psyche will become strange.  Okay, it’ll become stranger.  You cannot have anyone going psychotic on the ISS.  I would think catastrophic failure of the ISS and the human psyche are two of the major concerns aboard the station.  And again, if they get middled by an asteroid there isn’t much we can do except watch and hope.  The issues of waste disposal alone are phenomenal.

NASA/ESA JPL The ISS after STS132 undocks.

The computer technology which has exploded into our lives is unbelievable.  If you grew up using computers, lucky you.  They were something which entered my life after I was an adult; the home computers, anyway.  When we mention computers, we have to mention the Internet.  Now THAT is something.  You have the accumulated knowledge of our species at your fingertips.  I defy you to find a subject not addressed somewhere on the Internet.  In fact, the usual problem is “too much”, instead of “not enough”.  It’s there, all you have to do is ask for it.  Today’s computers practically spoon feed it to you.  I can’t wait to see the next generation; already being developed.

Of course, we’ve all benefited from the advancements made in space exploration (in addition to war and greed, remember Part I).  Not just by the computer sitting in front of you, but in medicine, terrestrial vehicles, the service machines you have in your home (like your dishwasher), education… the list is enormous.  It’s impacted every area of our lives, including socially.  Each step we take brings us only to another step.  We will never reach “the end” of advancements.

I’ve heard many people complain about the speed at which our technology is advancing.  I’m never sure how to answer, but I’m certain they wouldn’t want to go back to a time when we didn’t have it.  Get sick, and tell your doctor you’d rather he bled you with leaches than order the medicine you need?  There is no going back, there is only forward… or fall into stagnation.  When any species falls into stagnation, it gets edited out.  You know what that means, you don’t need me to explain it to you.

Just in case you missed it.

We are only at the beginning.  There are so many things ahead, so much to discover, and our machines will be with us.  This was Trudy’s post.