Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Space Search - Man's Fascination With Outer Space


"Space Search - Man's Fascination With Outer Space","

For many years humans believed the earth was flat and if they went too far to the edge they would fall off.


Grecian and Aztec explorers used to describe the earth as a flat surface and it was Eratosthenes, a Greek mathematician who calculated the Earth's diameter by a simple technique of using the shadows cast by the sun.


For thousands of years the questions of space search continued to dominate all who were fascinated by what else was contained in the universe.
 It was in the 20th century that astronomers and scientists begin to look scientifically at what was out there, and at the possibility of a space search expedition.


Gagarin's triumph was the culmination of a battle between the USA and Russia - each country wanted to be the first to put a man into space and thus begin an age of space search.
 Shepherd became the second man into space and to start a space search just a few weeks later, when he was shot up for about 15 minutes.
 Space searches have hot some major setbacks in recent years, most notably with the Challenger in 1986, which was destroyed just a couple of minutes into its flight, and, more recently, with the Columbia in 2003 which broke up on re-entry to the earth's atmosphere, killing all on board.
 The International Space Station remains in use, with a skeleton staff on board.
 It is the fear of the unknown as well as the possibility of discovering other life which draws us ever closer.


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