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When I read through the list of ‘Required Blog Posts’, I actually expected this to be one of the easier ones to write. When I sat down to write it, though, I thought about all of the obvious technologies available (computers, televisions, telephones, radios) but figured that a lot of people are going to cover those. I then realized that I didn’t even really have a clear idea of what technology is! So after some research (Wooo Wikipedia) I decided that I would write about space stations. This is a topic that I find very exciting anyways because I’m very interested in space!

As it happens, the space station concept was not first conceived with the intent of a Jetsons/Futurama-esque world, but a Russian idea of 1869 to help navigate ships at sea. Following that, the “Space Race” between the Soviet Union and the United States that began during the Cold War era helped keep the space station idea going. After Russia lost the moon race in 1969, “the Russian government adopted the space station concept as the major direction for the Soviet manned program”. And thus, Mir, the world’s first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space, as well as the holder of the record for the longest continuous human presence in space, is born!

So, humans did not chose to leave Earth on a quest for aliens or the intention of setting up a vacation resort on Jupiter, but to get a better view of the oceans and win a who-can-get-to-the-moon-first contest. But now that we’re all friends again (kind of) with the development of the International Space Station, I find it amazing that something so huge for not only our global culture but for humans in general came to be from such simple intentions. With the possibility of Earth like bodies both in (Titan) and outside of (its name has escaped me but it starts with a G) our solar system, and all of the other potential discoveries about space (with so much of it is still a mystery and unexplored), human history will be permanently changed forever. Most major technologies seem to start off this way though, but I guess it shows what one small idea can lead to. Apparently space tourism and private trips to the moon will be big in the near future. I’ve also heard that you can buy land on the moon now. That’ll come in handy for when Earth explodes. I think I will go buy my great great grandchildren a plot of moon land.


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