The Final Frontier

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than conventional techniques. Also, through a process developed by a Dutch professor, astronauts could use stem cells to grow muscle tissue in a test tube. This would allow them to produce artificial pork, beef, chicken, or lamb while traveling between planets.

Along with sustainability improvements, scientists are working on more effective ways to travel between celestial bodies. One newly theorized propulsion method uses a large "sail"

which is accelerated by the momentum of photons bouncing off of it. Due to a lack of drag in a vacuum, this would cause the ship to build up speed indefinitely ("10 Technology Innovations Needed for Deep Space Exploration"). Another possible improved transportation method is a “warp drive”, which would expand space behind the ship and contract space in front of it, allowing travel speeds that exceed the speed of light. Einstein’s theory of special relativity proves that the mass of an object increases as its velocity increases, thus requiring more energy to further accelerate the object. As a result, it would require an infinite amount of energy to accelerate an object to the speed of light. In order to circumvent this seemingly impassable obstacle, scientists sought to use the properties of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. In summary, the theory of general relativity models how mass and energy (which are the related through the equation E=mc^2) can distort space and time. Using this concept, the warp drive would use energy to decrease the distance from the front of the ship to the destination and increase the distance from the place of departure. Unfortunately, generating the amount of energy required for this is far greater than what we can generate with current technology.

Numerous problems are presented by the immense distances involved on the cosmological scale. Even a trip to Mars (the nearest planet) consists of a one year, 36 million mile journey ("10 Technology Innovations Needed for Deep Space Exploration"). The current method of communication between mission control and astronauts is through the use of radio waves. Although radio waves offer the advantage of being able to travel through objects, the limited rate at which information can be transmitted and the slower speed of radio waves makes the wait time for any communications becomes a difficult obstacle to overcome. For example, scientists controlling a Mars rover would have to wait 90 minutes for any control input to take effect, so they would have to carefully plan out a sequence of maneuvers before sending the signal to the rover. In order to overcome this delay, scientists are developing a communication system that uses lasers instead of radio waves. Using optical lasers would require a network of enough satellites for the beam to be redirected to the communication site if there are any obstructions, as visible light cannot travel through matter. However if this network of satellites was constructed, it could reduce the 90 minute wait time of the Mars rover to a mere five minutes.

Although space travel may lie outside of practicality with current methods, researchers continue to make developments that may one day expand humanity into the Universe

Pictured left: an example of aeroponics.

Works Cited

Chaikin, Andrew. "Is SpaceX Changing the Rocket Equation?" Air & Space Jan. 2012: n. pag. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. <http://www.airspacemag.com/space/is-spacex-changing-the-rocket-equation-132285884/?no-ist>.

"Global Space Programs." Space Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. <http://www.spacefoundation.org/programs/public-policy-and-government-affairs/introduction-space/global-space-programs>.

"Mars’ South Pole Ice Deep and Wide." NASA. N.p., 15 Mar. 2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. <http://web.archive.org/web/20070328101027/http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-030>.

"10 Technology Innovations Needed for Deep Space Exploration." Science Channel. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2015. <http://www.sciencechannel.com/topics/aliens-space/10-technology-innovations-needed-for-deep-space-exploration/>.