Overview
Since I was a young child, the topic of space exploration interested me heavily. This sense of exploring a world which has so much to offer but at the same time has nothing to offer is something that gives me a jolt internally. In the 1960s, there was a period deemed the “Space Race”. This time period was essentially a race to see which nation could put a man in space first. It was built on the existing tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States and this race fueled scientists to think harder than they ever have before to develop safe technology to send a man to space. Since then, the United States, Russia and China have been huge proponents in exploring space and developing space technology. Currently, there are about 2000 operational satellites orbiting our planet. A country cannot just simply send a satellite into space for no apparent reason and there are specific regions in space to where countries are limited to send their satellites. With this, comes an interesting topic and debate of space politics. This requires collaboration between nations through an intuitive approach of politics. Politics played a huge role during the Space Race which occurred during the 1960s; collaboration through politics was key to ensure the so called “race” ended in good terms. The UN collectively passed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, in an attempt to alleviate tensions between nations and set proper guidelines of how to address these outer space issues. One of the main principles of this Treaty states that it prevents the placement of weapons of mass destruction in Earth’s orbit or placing them on any other celestial body. This treaty limits the use of outer space to solely peaceful usage by all nations equally.
Although my career goals do not necessarily align with Space, there is a significant amount which does relate to the latter part: Politics. Ultimately, when I grow up I want to help others through medicine. The field of medicine is vastly multidisciplinary, and with this, there is reasonable discussions about how accessible healthcare should be, which all ties into the politics of medicine. My passion for space has not necessarily driven me to pursue a career in this particular field, but I believe that it is important to have a multidisciplinary approach to life. Through this project, I am exploring this skill of mine so I can begin to appreciate the importance of this trait.
Although my career goals do not necessarily align with Space, there is a significant amount which does relate to the latter part: Politics. Ultimately, when I grow up I want to help others through medicine. The field of medicine is vastly multidisciplinary, and with this, there is reasonable discussions about how accessible healthcare should be, which all ties into the politics of medicine. My passion for space has not necessarily driven me to pursue a career in this particular field, but I believe that it is important to have a multidisciplinary approach to life. Through this project, I am exploring this skill of mine so I can begin to appreciate the importance of this trait.
Space XEveryone has heard of Space X to some degree, whether its been through the news or through conversation with your colleagues. Space X is one of Elon Musk’s several companies; one that is becoming more and more prominent due to its recent successes. This is a private, for-profit company which focuses on implementing space technology. Space X has been a hit in the news recently, accomplishing many landmark milestones. It is the only private company capable of both sending a spacecraft out of Earth and returning it back. In 2012, the company launched the first spacecraft which delivered cargo to and from the ISS (International Space Station. In 2017, the company achieved the first re-flight of a rocket and has produced the world’s most powerful rocket: Falcon Heavy. This company is taking space exploration to a whole new level and is fostering collaboration between nations as well. Unlike a government run entity, the company has the liberty to interact with any customer and has done so. This in turn is allowing for a more peaceful space. Since the company is private, it does not have to worry much about the slew of political interactions that normally exists between countries. This company is one that is technologically exciting and is entering a booming industry. The goals of this company is often thought of being distant, but if one is able to land an internship there, there are endless opportunities which await. The resources available through this company are very attractive and even as an entry-level employee, there will be a guarantee of exciting work on the plate. If I had the chance to work at Space X, I would be able to put my problem solving and analytical skills to work, engineering solutions to further their current space missions.
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NASANASA is one of the most prominent government organizations that the United State has. NASA was formed in 1958, amidst the ongoing Space Race. The organization was created to ensure and encourage peaceful space exploration. Since then, NASA has been a world famous icon in space exploration. Several of the missions which we know today were directed and funded under NASA. The Apollo Missions, Space Shuttle Missions, Gemini Program, Curiosity Rover, International Space Station and more were all missions and programs by NASA. At the time of the early 1960s, there was much to be explored in space and through the developments in technology and curiosity of scientists, NASA was able to take space exploration to a whole new level. There is so much we know today about space because of the missions and programs NASA set out to fund to explore space. Manned space programs is something that is quite normal for us today, but back then, it was revolutionary to have several programs which sent a man into space, moreover to step on the Moon. The Apollo Missions were overall a huge success, allowing not only scientists, but the general public to understand more about the Moon. After the Apollo Missions came the famous Shuttle Missions which targeted to send a group of astronauts into space to perform experiments and then after some time return back to the planet. Now there is a huge shift to focus on possible colonization on Mars, with President Trump granting NASA funding for this project. With regards to a possible career here, there are several opportunities. The most accessible one is the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) which is a sought after internship focusing on designing, building and optimizing the aeronautics of the spacecraft. Working at NASA requires a lot of dedication and hard work, and if I ever I have the chance to land an internship there, I believe this will be a huge step towards my development as a professional since there will be so much to learn. Since I am an avid learner as well, I would be able to use my skills here to help NASA develop new and improved projects.
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Georgia Space AllianceThe Georgia Space Alliance is a group of scientists who are extremely passionate about the field of space. There are a number of people on their board of directors and staff who all share one avocation: space exploration. This organization is a non-profit organization and collectively, they hold several workshops and meetings/conferences where they get many space junkies from across the nation to come speak about their recent endeavors towards advancing Space Exploration. This all comes at a cost, however; they have to collectively work to target space politics and create plans which are politically sound. Since the organization is a non-profit organization, there is limited funding which comes in, so many of the projects are funded by some external organization. For example, many of the members of the Georgia Space Alliance are members of the Georgia Tech community. These members research at Georgia Tech and are able to share their findings with their partners at the Georgia Space Alliance Group. An entry level position, likely would not be doing a job per say, but adding to discussion and informing the other members about developments in the space community. If I were to work here, I could use my skills in being futuristic to help form possible ideas to fuel space exploration in the future.
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Interview
Below are some questions and answers we received from an Interview with Laura Forczyk, an Executive Director at the Georgia Space Alliance
What ethical concerns are present when discussing space exploration?
What political concerns are present?
Back in the early 1960s during the Space Race, space played a significant role in politics. Is space politics still a concern of ours today?
To what extent are satellites shared amongst countries and boundaries?
- Colonization on Mars
- Ethical concern because do we need to colonize mars, one way trip to mars?
- Out there, especially with space for humans
- Don’t contaminate rest of universe
- Ethical concern because do we need to colonize mars, one way trip to mars?
- Space Tours
- Many companies are granting ‘tours’ to the general public
- Virgin Galactic
- Blue Origins
- All of these tours have risks and there are ethical concerns if people want to take these risks
- Colonization
- Shift to shy away from this
- Mainly because colonization has negative connotations because of ethical concerns back in the day with Columbus and other explorers
- No sovereign nation can claim celestial body
- Can company mining rights
- Apollo astronauts bring back moon rocks
- Common good
- Are we allowing mining in space
- Common good? Do they need to share w entire world
- Resources should belong to humanity
What political concerns are present?
- International Law is determined by the UN
- Space is demilitarized
- Outer Space Treaty (1967)
- Ban on weapons of mass destruction in outer space
- Moon Treaty (1979)
- Turns jurisdiction of celestial bodies over to international law
- Countries as well as the UN want to ensure that space is safe so humans on Earth feel safe as well and to prevent wars on Earth
- This occurs through collaboration of all countries and the UN, obeying these space laws
Back in the early 1960s during the Space Race, space played a significant role in politics. Is space politics still a concern of ours today?
- Between USA and Soviets
- USA was not a signatory on the Moon treaty
- turns all jurisdiction in space to international law
- UN has entire body which studies space policies meet regularly
- Standards committees
- Satellite tracking
- Global and partnerships
- Smaller countries partner w USA
- If don’t have ability to have space program
To what extent are satellites shared amongst countries and boundaries?
- Satellite location not determined by country, instead they are determined by need of satellites
- The placement of the satellites depend on the function of each satellite
- In terms of signal delay, there is not much delay when the satellite is placed in lower Earth orbit
- Often times the bigger satellites are placed in higher orbit
- Many countries collaborate to send materials to a central satellite - ISS
- The USA in particular has military technology to ensure satellites do not crash in outer space since there is a big movement to preventing space debris.