“Space: The final frontier” – Capt. T. James Kirk
August 05, 2012 10:36am PDT
This day is not one that jumps out in the mind of the average person, but for those that remember, it marked an astounding moment in the history of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA; on this day, at this time, the wheels of the rover Curiosity, touched down safely on the surface of Mars.
Though only the most recent of a handful of rovers humanity has already deposited on the surface of the Red Planet, Curiosity signifies a strengthening of our space-faring prowess, allowing mankind to look to the stars and truly entertain the notion: “We can go further.”
So how far have we gone?
In terms of manned missions, the furthest we have achieved is the Moon landings, the last of which occurred in December, 1972. Our unmanned endeavors have traveled further, since there is no need for pesky hindrances such as life support.
In 1977, the space probe Voyager 1 was launched. Its mission: to explore our outer solar system. Travelling at a breakneck speed of 61,500 km/h, it has taken the small probe 35 years to reach the outer edge of our Solar system, cementing it as the furthest man-made object from the Earth. NASA predicts the probe will reach the outer edge of the solar system sometime between 2013 and 2015.
NASA Artist concept of Voyager 1
(Source: NAACL.blogspot.ca)
Can we go further?
Since we have reached the edge of our solar system, is it possible to reach and explore other solar systems in our galaxy? Our Milky Way is comprised of billions of stars, out of which millions contain orbiting planets. So it seems feasible that we posses the means to reach these neighboring galaxies and extend our interstellar presence.
Not so fast, there is no doubt that the Voyager is travelling very fast, in fact, it is currently the fastest interstellar spacecraft in existence. But despite this incredible speed, fast enough to circumnavigate the globe 5 times in an hour, it might as well be travelling at a snail’s pace relative to the enormous interstellar distances between solar systems.
Distance between interstellar bodies is measured in Light Years, and the closest solar system to ours, Proxima Centauri is 4.22 Light Years away. At Voyager’s current speed, it would take approximately 75,000 years for the probe to reach the solar system!
What does this mean?
Even as we advance to where we can safely land rovers on Mars, and explore the outer reaches of our solar system, we still do not posses the means to conquer the massive distances between us and our interstellar neighbors Still, NASA shows no signs of slowing down.
And trust me, there is plenty to do in our home solar system.
