How Did We Get Here?
Back in 1957 the launch of Sputnik I officially initiated the race for space. It was the first artificial satellite launched to space. The soviet union achieved this accomplishment in the middle of the Cold War, which presented a concern for the United States. President Kennedy challenged the country to safely launch and return a man to the moon. In 1969, Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and began his moon walk with the famous line “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” This sparked an interest for space travel around the world.
Throughout the journey to space exploration, millions of people around the world benefited from its innovation. Without knowing it, we have enjoyed the benefits of dozens of products that originated from inventions engineered for space exploration.
- Camera Phones: 33% of all cameras contain technology used to fit scientific grade cameras in space air crafts.
- CAT Scans: The same technology used for good digital imaging in space was used to develop CAT scanners.
- LED: LEDs have been used in space to grow plants, and now provides efficient lighting for millions.
- Athletic Shoes: Materials and technology for these shoes came from astronauts’ suit construction developed by NASA.
- Water Purification Systems: Technology was invented in the 1960s to purify astronauts’ drinking water.
Over time, the buzz for space travel and innovation began to decline. A combination of astronomical costs and limited progress sparked controversy. We started to question whether or not this journey has been a waste of time.
SpaceX Contribution
Elon Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of inhabiting Mars. This was done after realizing that even if NASA’s budget was increased, the costs associated with using existing practices would make travel to Mars prohibitively expensive. One of their critical objectives was to reinvent how space travel is done. In the past 18 years, the company has surpassed a series of obstacles to change space travel forever.
Reduced Costs
The company’s most significant contribution to space travel has to be the cost reduction associated with launching a rocket. First, they re-imagined how rocket ships should work to make them re-usable. Then, they also changed the processes used to manufacture these vehicles. Instead of being built in the direction of launch, the build their rockets parallel to the ground. Once they are ready to launch, the ship is carefully oriented to its launch position.
With a combination of these, and other changes, SpaceX was able to reduce the average cost of launching a kilogram to space by 85%. “Between 1970 and 2000, the cost to launch a kilogram to space remained fairly steady, with an average of US$18,500 per kilogram. When the space shuttle was in operation, it could launch a payload of 27,500 kilograms for $1.5 billion, or $54,500 per kilogram. For a SpaceX Falcon 9, the rocket used to access the ISS, the cost is just $2,720 per kilogram.”
Sparked New Interest
Throughout their journey to launching astronauts to space, Musk increased interest and awareness in space travel. Much like he has done with Tesla, he developed somewhat of a cult following. After partnering with SpaceX , NASA has recognized the demand and used merchandise to capitalize. You have probably seen an explosion of NASA branded apparel over the last couple of years. This creates a cycle where enthusiasts pay to do advertising for NASA.
The increase in interest has sparked more conversation on the topic online. Channels like Everyday Astronaut cover topics like the construction and technological advancements of the industry. This particular channel has over 650,000 subscribers, and their latest videos average well over 1 million views.
Interest in the industry also increased among investors and entrepreneurs. Companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic were founded after SpaceX started to give people hope about a future in space. This competition among new and existing companies will only aid in the advancement of space travel as they try to out-do each other. This innovation will also translate to other industries as it has in the past.
Impact On The Future
The space industry will continue to fuel the development of new products around the world. The involvement of SpaceX, and the interest they have generated, have already shown signs of technology that will benefit in the future.
A.I. Development
Artificial Intelligence has already been used in the space industry. They started with capturing images of natural calamities such as hurricanes or volcanic eruptions. “The same goes with SKICAT (Sky Image Cataloging and Analysis Tool) which assisted researchers to discover objects during the second Palomar Sky Survey where it classified at least a thousand objects in low resolution. That’s a lot more than a human could identify.”
Currently, new successful applications of AI include a Crew Interactive Mobile Companion. “The applications of CIMON include Search for objects, inventory management, documenting experiments, photography, and videography. It is also perfectly capable of hearing and seeing and thus it can act as a personal assistant.” The AEGIS has also been used since 2016 to analyze the ground on Mars. Its performance has improved from 24% to 93% in just three years.
Because artificial intelligence relies on repetition and effective infrastructures, the expanded use in space will be of benefit for everyone. Space exploration presents unique challenges with small margins of error, which are ideal scenarios for developing effective systems.
Internet Everywhere
Back in 2015, SpaceX submitted documentation for Starlink. It consists of a series of low orbit satellites stationed around the globe to provide internet anywhere. Musk says “We’re really talking about something which is, in the long term, like rebuilding the internet in space." Although the company has been met with some resistance and controversy, they are still moving forward with the project.
The ability to use the internet has changed the way we live our lives. Information available on the web has made education accessible to more people than ever. It helped to even the playing field between different social and economical classes. Tools like smartphones, podcasts, and e-commerce have made us more efficient and effective. As a result, the economy around the world has also grown exponentially.
As of 2017 only 15% of the world had broadband subscriptions. If Starlink is successful in providing internet access to the rest of the world, we can expect productivity and education to continue rising to new all time heights.
Solar Technology
For decades, satellites and space stations have used solar panels to harvest the sun’s energy. The original solar panels on the International Space Station are able to collect 14% of the solar energy emitted by the sun. Thanks to the continuous research and development by NASA, solar panels used by everyday people have significantly better efficiencies. Since, the company has partnered with other businesses to redesign solar panels with a new film. “The film is incredibly efficient, too, converting 90 percent of the light that strikes its surface into energy,” according to NASA.
Although this technology is too expensive to deploy for everyday use on earth, it will be a stepping stone to get us there. As it continues to develop, we’ll be able to design new iterations that are more cost effective. Products like solar powered vehicles can become a reality over time. Elon Musk has a vested interest in the success of SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. The integration among the three will only aid the development and expansion of solar powered products.
Bottom Line
There is no way to know for certain what the future will bring, but it is certain that space exploration will play a pivotal role. Between the trillions of dollars spent in the field, and their necessity to solve new problems, the industry is poised to be a significant contributor to innovation. Their track record speaks for itself. The leaders of these companies are the last group of people I would bet against.
