Since the first humans evolved in east Africa about 3 million years ago, people have been conflicted between the pressures of dealing with problems at home and the excitement and possibilities offered by exploration. There will always be problems at home, but it’s not a good enough reason for staying put, so people venture forth, often reaping the benefits.
There is much historical evidence to show that exploration produces solutions which can be employed back home. Columbus struggled to fund his expeditions because few could see any benefit. But after Europeans reached the Americas they brought back potatoes, which became a hugely important crop, feeding millions because they thrive where other crops fail.
Discoveries are made not only at the destination but along the way, too. When sailors began to explore the world’s oceans, they needed a way of determining longitude, something which requires accurate timings. Since pendulum clocks are wildly inaccurate on rolling ships, major scientific and engineering advances were made in coming up with a timepiece solution. Your wristwatch, albeit probably electronic, is a direct descendant of that.
We discuss all of this for a reason. Since moonwalkers Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt splashed down on Earth along with Command Module pilot Ronald Evans (and five mice) on 19 December 1972, humans have never again put boots on the Moon. Several return programs have been proposed and aborted, with none being successful because of funding problems and a lack of enthusiasm from the public and politicians. Earthbound problems have been seen as more pressing.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 118-Ausgabe von All About Space.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 118-Ausgabe von All About Space.
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"We knew that this would be a historic comet"
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CELESTRON STARSENSE EXPLORER DX 102AZ
Innovative technology provides the simplest and quickest solution yet to finding objects to observe, and this instrument will be very popular with beginners
MOON TOUR - COPERNICUS
Get up close to the ‘Monarch of the Moon’
A HUNGRY BLACK HOLE 'SWITCHES ON' AS ASTRONOMERS WATCH IN SURPRISE
J221951 is one of the most extreme examples yet
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE - WHY DOES JUPITER CHANGE COLOUR?
For years, scientists have tried to work out why Jupiter’s bands frequently move and change colour. Now they believe they’ve found the answer
MARS HELICOPTER PHONES HOME AFTER A 63-DAY SILENCE
Rugged terrain had kept Ingenuity from communicating with its robotic partner, the Perseverance rover
SIX OF THE BEST SPACE PRANKS
It turns out that the sky isn’t the limit when it comes to a good old-fashioned practical joke
CLIMATES CHANGE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Alongside Earth, our planetary neighbourhood is changing. But not for the better…
TIME APPEARED TO MOVE FIVE TIMES SLOWER IN THE FIRST BILLION YEARS AFTER THE BIG BANG
Time dilation, brought about by the relativistic expansion of space, has resulted in the observed slowing of ‘clocks’ in the early universe
WHAT CAN WE DO WITH A CAPTURED ASTEROID?
Asteroids could provide us with rare resources