The Crew As The Greatest Limiting Factor Of Space Exploration

There are very few questions which stand the test of time and stimulate the imaginations of each generation. For centuries people have looked up into space and wondered what mysteries are hiding out there, waiting to be discovered. It is our inherent thirst for knowledge that drove us to create the first computer, send satellites into the vastness of space, and take us to the moon all while uniting the earth’s nations in awe. Space exploration, conducted by either manned or un-manned spacecraft, is the investigation of the universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and to use the information obtained to further our knowledge and to benefit humanity.

The first major development in space exploration was the inception of the telescope (of which its creation is credited to Hans Lippershey) with Galileo becoming the first person to use it for astronomical purposes in 1610, after which he discovered four of Jupiter’s largest moons and improved upon details of our moon’s surface. It was this idea which paved the way for other scientists to explore space and in more detail thus furthering our knowledge and giving us more questions to search answers for. Over 300 years after the telescope’s inception, the USSR and USA began to see the potential of conducting experiments outside of the Earth’s atmosphere ultimately leading to the USSR launching the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1 on the 4th October 1957 which was marked as the “first man-made object to leave the Earth’s atmosphere” subsequently leading to the formation of NASA. Since then, the inception of the International Space Station and it’s resulting technologies and discoveries often prove to be just as useful on Earth such as software for spacecraft design being modified to design better cars or methods used to keep astronauts healthy being used to improve healthcare for everyone else.

As a result of this, it’s very clear that continued research into space-related projects is extremely important and must be continued in order to expand our knowledge, hence if we are going to continue to send humans to space I want to research the effects of prolonged exposure to the harsh environment since these issues must be resolved before planning any long-distance missions because, due to the vastness of space, there are no easy ways to return and, depending on the severity of the issue, could jeopardize the safety of the crew. I will also delve into the necessity of a human crew to conduct experiments in space and thus investigate the potential of Artificial Intelligence to replace humans altogether since they don’t have as many necessities to account for or as high of value as a human, so a scientist’s focus can be on the mission objectives rather than the crew’s welfare.