To Infinity And Beyond

To infinity and beyond, Good old Buzz Lightyear or this one to go where no man has gone before sums it up nicely. As it turns out whether mankind continues to reach out into space especially with all the limitations that currently hamper further space exploration, we are very limited to the exact context of how far man can really go. The latest endeavor is the Mars I project where we hope to have landed safely a manned expedition by the year 2020. It has always been that man’s innate nature to embark on quests in search for the unknown has led to some of the world’s greatest technological innovations and inventions. Whether it is in the depths of the oceans and now the far reaches of space mankind has always been so inquisitive as to what is actually down there or up there.

It is our understanding in the laws of physics that were so exquisitely explicit from the writings and research from Albert Einstein and others before and during the Manhattan project that in our universe and realm of reality such equations as e=mc 2 as absolutes. Many great minds from Galileo, Newton, to Einstein and Hawkins have devoted their lives to these absolutes and yet there remains many unexplained instances where these absolutes are called into question time and time again only to be reinforced. In our realm of reality one of the absolutes is the speed in which light travels. When we enjoy all those science fiction movies where man is thrust into space at velocities that far exceed that absolute questions arise. One of the most perplexing is that even though it is only science fiction where imagination takes us on that wild ride into the unknown could it be that our understanding of the whole universe is still very limited and those absolutes could be called into question, yet again?

The probability in answering that is one of man’s most enduring quests. But we have to remember that our universe is only one of the infinitesimal number of universes. The likelihood of the laws of physics that pertain in our known realm of reality may not be the same in others. Our quest to understand how the universe works starts with the study of the very basic building blocks of our own existence, matter, energy, space, time, and how they behave under the extreme physical conditions that characterize the evolving of our Universe. Today there is an ongoing study of the physics of the cosmos, namely our own realm of reality. This program incorporates cosmology, high-energy astrophysics, and fundamental physics projects aimed at addressing directly central questions about the nature of complex astrophysical phenomena such as black holes, neutron stars, dark energy, and gravitational waves. We are now able to use and utilize a fleet of space-based missions operating across the whole electromagnetic spectrum. It is the goal of this program to learn about the origin and ultimate destiny of our universe and thereby pertain it to others. Still more questions arise than answers.  

It is in this light that our space program whether government sponsored, or private enterprises have only limited ways now of exploring space, the final frontier as they say. To felicitate the enormity of such undertakings a global effort would expedite future endeavors into the unknown. Using our known absolutes mankind has ventured farther than ever before, whether it is in the depths of our oceans and now just within the past 70 years into the reaches of space. The International Space Station though still very new has enormous potential to unite more countries that are emerging scientifically. Not only will this generate more enthusiasm for more business growth not only within the scientific community, but the potential spin offs of other ventures would be colossal. To skeptics that say why waste money on projects that have practically no bearing on the immediate impact of economic growth completely miss the boat or in this case that spaceship.

It is in man’s nature to be so inquisitive. Least we forget all that was accomplished within the past 70 years when man has continued to venture into space. We have to keep in mind as in life that there are no guarantees and in science there is also really no absolutes either. Sure, in our realm of reality absolutes apply but that’s not to say where in other places far beyond our own ability to comprehend those absolutes we hold dear are completely irrelevant. Those great minds that gave us these absolutes today have given mankind the ability to go forth and the inclination to only further investigate the absolutes that apply to our own realm of reality as we know it may have no bearing in the realms of reality far beyond our ability now to comprehend. In other words, in the far reaches of that final frontier there just maybe another set of absolutes that could very well unlock the mysteries of the cosmos.