Star Blog – #1
I’ve always loved going to the planetarium where we could sit back in comfortable seats and immerse ourselves among the stars and planets floating across the dome. Camping trips in the Rocky Mountains were my next favorite outings when we could sit by campfires and gaze up at the sky trying to identify constellations and satellites while counting meteorites (falling stars). Nature’s splendor could not be matched by any pieces of museum art.
Like so many across the nation and the globe, I’ve been mesmerized by objects flying past familiar bright lights such as Venus and Jupiter which illuminate the evening sky. These objects have been called drones, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) and even Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). Whatever we call them, they are generating a lot of reactions and emotion from the public.
There is uncertainty over what they are and what they are doing over our homes, communities, and several military bases. Conspiracy theorists have promulgated the airwaves, political and military leaders have divergent opinions, and the public is left confused and scared.
I’ve also spent time trying to figure out what I’m witnessing every night as soon as the sun sets. I’m fascinated by the various lights and shapes soaring and sometimes slowly moving above me. The initial frightening notion that they are searching for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) has evolved into other possibilities-some a bit farfetched, but inspiring for a space aficionado.
Could these “drones” be our advanced technologies searching for objects such as orbs from other worlds or dimensions and not weapons to harm us? I know it sounds like a scene from a science fiction movie, but it would be so transformative at every level if this were to be case. All that divides us on this planet could merge into a common humanity led by awe and not anger. One can always wish upon a star.
Space has always unified us. For example, one of the brightest objects in the sky is the International Space Station (ISS) which has been built by 5 space agencies from 15 countries including Russia. Cosmonauts and astronauts have worked and lived side by side over 248 miles above Earth for decades.
The ISS has been a haven for those who are pushing the envelope to explore among the stars including the Boeing Starliner crew who found their one-week journey extended into months aboard the ISS. Furthermore, lessons learned from living aboard the ISS have helped to pave the celestial road for the commercial space program and its new fleet of space stations.
These space stations will be more than hotels in orbit, but also laboratories and medical facilities to help us understand how our bodies adapt to microgravity. Space flight participants (space explorers) will range in age and health status and will represent “average” human beings, not just super star athletes.
These findings will advance policies, protocols, products and programs to keep a diverse group of people healthy in space and will provide valuable lessons for terrestrial health. Every system in the body changes in microgravity including our neurosensory, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and immunologic systems–much like what happens to us as we age.
And if we are truly a space-faring species, aiming our sights for the moon and Mars, we need to ensure that there is ‘space’ for all and we know what is required for everyone to thrive in this environment.
I’d like to think that 2024 was the year that we looked up at the sky in wonderment. Such as when we watched the solar eclipse in April with anticipation for darkness, but also with certainty that the sun would shine again.
