Unit 9: Space

Although this week’s topic of space connected different elements of previous discussions, it was very unique. Learning about the history of Copernicus and his ideas of a heliocentric solar system was a refresher from previous history courses. However, I learned that Copernicus studied medicine before devoting his time to studying space (Vesna). This is an interesting fact that corroborates the connectedness of different fields. He was able to incorporate medical knowledge in his spatial observations (Westman).

Artist's rendition of Connection of Space and Medicine

This week’s lectures also saddened me. The story of Laika, the dog who was sacrificed and sent to space for research purposes, touched me deeply (George). Laika did not survive past a week and the study was simply an indirect attack on the United States by Russia. It was conducted to make the following claim: Russia is a superior nation. This brings to light some of the questions from the medical topics of previous weeks. What is considered ethical research? How can research be monitored to prevent unethical experiments?  

Curiosity Rover 

Discussions of space cannot be made without the mention of Sputnik and other satellites. I became interested in this topic and researched recent projects in space. Mark Rober, a NASA engineer, helped create a car-sized rover that was sent to Mars in 2012. The planning of such an event took billions of dollars but was ground-breaking. The rover named Curiosity allowed for live footage to be received from Mars. In the video below, he discusses his opinion of his work at NASA and briefly touches on the engineering masterpiece that is Curiosity.

Sources

George, Alice. “The Sad, Sad Story of Laika, the Space Dog, and Her One-Way Trip into Orbit.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 11 Apr. 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sad-story-laika-space-dog-and-her-one-way-trip-orbit-1-180968728/.

Greicius, Tony. “NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Finds a Clay Cache.” NASA, NASA, 29 May 2019, www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasas-curiosity-mars-rover-finds-a-clay-cache.

Rober, Mark. “NASA's Curiosity Landing- 1 of Her Creator's POV.” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Aug. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCKogFDM3Zg.

Vesna, Victoria. “8 Space pt1 1280x720.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 July 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=277&v=6ZIqTR332l8.

Westman, Robert S. “Nicolaus Copernicus.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 May 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolaus-Copernicus.