The Future of Space Travel

In July of 1969, one of humanity’s greatest achievements was achieved: the first group of humans landed on another celestial body—the moon. Ever since then, we’ve all thought about how much more would have to be done to step foot across the entire solar system. But, with all these dreams of the future, there is one major question to ask: How is it that any of this is possible?

“Conducting space travel is a lot more complicated than it sounds,” says Mr. Ponder. “Scientists have to calculate the distance between the Earth, and wherever we’re trying to go, and how we’re getting back to Earth.”

Calculating how to get to space is extremely difficult because you have to get the equations on when to launch the spacecraft perfect, as one minuscule error could ruin the whole operation. Scientists also have to calculate when to launch the shuttle, as planets are always moving. They calculate the distance from the Earth, how fast the planet moves, and how strong the gravitational pull is. 

Moving ahead, another frequently asked question is, what’s used to get into space?

To get into space, we use shuttles with rockets on them, which launch the shuttle past the atmosphere and into space. The rocket uses elements such as hydrogen and oxygen as fuel, which is what launches the shuttle. And contradictory to popular belief, space shuttles are not something you can drive like a car. It is a still object that is slowly launching the chosen destination.
But, most importantly, out of all of this, what are some future plans for space travel?

“NASA is planning on sending more people to the moon in the next couple of years,” said Mr. Ponder. By 2024, more astronauts are expected to be launched to the moon. Specifically, their goal is for a man and a woman to land at the lunar south pole.

Hopefully, in the near future, we can make more advances towards space travel, as with enough effort, we definitely can.