Exploration is one of our most intriguing basic need. We are instinctively curious of the unknown. We pursue it. We question our own existence, the universe and we even question the existence of God. At the end of every quest, we embark on another. For every answer, we tinker with another question.
We have dreams. We have goals. We always look at the horizon and beyond. We look at the stars and wonder what is up there. When we see caves, we instinctively want to explore inside. We want to sail the oceans and dive deep down to learn more. When volcanoes erupt or earthquakes shake our foundation, we want to know why. We just do not accept the storms or the wrath of mother nature. We study and always try to understand the cause of the chaos. We see the spark of lightning, it tickles our mind to find the source of that energy and maybe utilize it. Our minds wonder, we aspire, we have ambitions, we hope, always on a quest for a solution for any problem that comes along.
Rarely will anyone stay in one place. We are always on the move. So we explore. But for exploration to succeed we need a way to move, we need the power, the propulsion to move forward. Without technology, we relied on our body and later on the beasts that we can tame to explore. With technology we created powerful propulsion systems to help us move forward, faster and farther. Advanced propulsion systems will always help us explore what is beyond.
What is propulsion? The dictionary defines it as the action of driving or pushing forward.
Over the years technology has come up with great inventions to improve upon propulsion. From the simple use of beast, wind, current, fire, fossil fuel, chemicals to even more advance technological methods to harness power to propel an object.
Without propulsion a boat would just be a floating raft. Without propulsion a spaceship would be just a like a huge meteor, at the mercy of gravity. In order to explore we need to develop propulsion technology.
Space exploration:
Why wait until humanity has built the best and the fastest propulsion system before we explore the stars. A spaceship is nothing but a self contained life support system. Assemble a spaceship in space big enough to sustain 500 people with gardens, pools, theaters, parks and a school system (a universal stewardship academy). Equip it with the current type of propulsion system and send it to space and towards the nearest star system to find another planet that can sustain life.
The travel may be slow but since the vessel is self sustainable and navigable and equipped with the most modern technology and intelligent people, discoveries will be made along the way to improve upon hull safety and propulsion technology. Communication between mother earth and the ship will always be maintained to help share in technological advances.
Even traveling only at 38,000 miles an hour (without accelerating), this vessel will reach a distance of 332,880,000 miles from earth in one year. Bear in mind that this speed will not be constant. The starting speed of 38,000 mph can easily double, quadruple or more. As a steady thrust is applied, the speed will be ever increasing (accelerating) in the “vacuum” of space. In less than 5 years it will be beyond our solar system. As propulsion technology improves, in less that 2 decades speeds may reach 1,000 times or more than the original speed making it even faster to reach the nearest stars and beyond. Big powerful thrusts in propulsion is ideal, but in the meantime the nuclear rocket thrusters would work wonders as long as that extra nudge in given every second. Every next second the speed of the vessel will always be faster than the previous second.