1. How Far is the Road to the Moon?
First Author: Sanober Riaz
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39760
This paper talks about the importance of space exploration. Manned missions are very
important in today’s world. People saw growth in science when the first rocket, a German
V-2 and the first satellite, Sputnik – I reached space. The world saw a new era of space
exploration when Yuri Gagarin went into space. Also a new hope was instilled when man
first stepped foot on the moon bringing President John F. Kennedy’s dream to reality.
When Neil Armstrong set his foot on moon, it instilled hope and excitement in young
growing minds. Man needs to continue his journey into space in order to reach out
farther.
I. Introduction
Technology is a part of human race and it is unstoppable. It is up to us how we use it. Space exploration is
the discovery and evolution of outer space by the means of space technology. The politics, science and
engineering behind space flight all fall under space exploration. Special objects have always caught mans
interest for thousands of years now. Thousands of people around the world have put their minds to work to
find answers to questions like, what is out there in space? How do we get there? What will we find? How
can we make life better on Earth by studying space? How can the resources out there be put to use? How do
we understand our world better? Does life exist beyond Earth? Can man live outside the Earth’s
atmosphere? The first rockets were launched for warfare purposes and the launch of these rockets evolved
into a well-established space program today. Man did land himself on the moon, but it is now uncertain if
another American will be able to do so. Being able to set steps on the moon is an important part of human
exploration on Mars. Common rationales for exploring space include advancing scientific research and
ensuring future survival of humanity. Various criticisms about this field of science are being made, and it is
important we put across the strong importance of the field. We need a goal, and not only for going back to
the moon but also for becoming sustainable. Expanding the field will also help in the growth of the
economy of the country by creating more job openings. Mars was reported to have had some water in the
past and the sudden disappearance of the water arises many questions like-Why? And How? It is important
we study that to realize the dangers and threats that are being imposed on our planet due to the celestial
activity of our solar system. If we are not given the time and money for more development and research,
then it is difficult for us to shoot for lofty goals.
II. History
Human spaceflight and robotic spacecraft both have played a major role in space exploration. While
astronomers have been studying celestial objects for several centuries now, space exploration hit reality
only with the invention and introduction of rockets. The rocket today is the gilt-edged accumulation of
human ingenuity that has had its roots in science and technology in the past. They are outcomes of years of
experimentation and research in rockets and rocket propulsion. A wooden bird was the first to display the
principles of rocket flight. Escaping steam propelled the wooden pigeon suspended on wires. The bird
worked on the action-reaction principle. Almost three hundred years after the bird, a rocket-like structure
called the aeolipile was formulated that used steam as the propulsive-gas.
A Greek, Hero of Alexandria invented the aeolipile. He mounted a sphere on a kettle and lit a fire below.
The fire evaporated the water in the kettle. The steam generated passed through pipes to the sphere. There
were two L-shaped tubes attached on either sides of the sphere. These tubes allowed the gas to exit and this
gave a thrust to the sphere, which in turn caused the sphere to rotate.

2. It is unclear when the first true-rockets came into existence. Only an estimated record of how rocketry
evolved is derived from the historical records of various cultures around the world. In 1898, a Russian
schoolteacher had proposed the idea of exploring space with the help of rockets. He also gave the idea of
using liquid propellant in order to reach greater range.
The first initiative to physically explore space was taken by the Germans. A German scientist was the first
to be successful in launching a man made object in space on the October 3, 1942 during the World War II
while testing the V-2 rocket. The V-2 was called the A-4 in German. The V-2 was very small if compared
to the size of today’s rockets. The propellant that gave the rocket the required thrust was a burning mixture
of liquid oxygen and alcohol. The mixture was burning at the rate of one ton every seven seconds. The V-2
was actually a weapon that could destroy whole city blocks in a single launch. This created a realization in
both, the United States and Soviet Union the potential of rocketry in military.
III. Background
The U.S started a program that dealt with high-altitude atmospheric sounding rockets, a variety of medium
and long-range ballistic missiles, which later evolved into the U.S Space Program.
The Soviet Union startled the world on October 4, 1957 with the launch of the first artificial satellite. The
first successful satellite called the Sputnik I orbited the Earth marking the beginning of space age. The
word ‘sputnik’ primitively meant “fellow traveler”; but it has now become tantamount to “satellite” in
modern Russian.
The Sputnik 1 was approximately the size of a beach ball. It was 22.8 inches (58 centimeter) in diameter.
The ball of Aluminum alloy weighed 83.6 kilograms (183.9 pounds). The main reason for the launch of
Sputnik I was to test the method of putting an artificial satellite into the Earth’s orbit. It also calculated the
density of the Earth’s atmosphere by calculating its lifetime in the orbit. Further, it tested the radio and
optical methods of orbital tracking; in addition to determining the effects of radio wave propagation
through the atmosphere and checking the principles of pressurization used on the satellites. The Sputnik
was launched with the help of R-7 ICBM rocket.
The launch of Sputnik I had started a race between the two most powerful nations of the time. The anxiety
of being left behind in the utilization and exploration of space made United States take a step that brought a
massive force for technological change. The Congress passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, of
1958, which led into the formation of a new civilian space agency. The NASA first came into being on July
29, 1958. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space administration) was a replacement of NACA (National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.) NASA shares data with many national and international
organizations such as the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite. NASA’s vision is, “To reach for new
heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and what we learn will benefit all humankind.” NASA
headquarters, located in Washington monitor the whole agency. NASA works in three principle
organizations, called mission directories. These mission directories are:
Aeronautics: pioneers and proves new flight technologies that improve our abilities to explore and which
have practical application on Earth.
Human Explorations and Operations: focuses on international Space station operations and human
exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
Science: explores the Earth, solar system and universe beyond; charts the best route of discovery; and reaps
the benefits of Earth and space exploration for society.
With NASA coming into practice, the United States hit its peak at space science. Explorer I was the first
satellite launched by the U.S to hit space on January 31, 1958. This satellite was a part of the United States
program for the International Geophysical year. (1957-58). The Explorer I was designed and built by the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology. The satellite was launched with

3. the help of Jupiter C Rocket. The Explorer I was launched from Cape Canaveral (now Cape Kennedy) in
Florida on January 31, 1958.
The primary science instrument used on explorer I was a cosmic ray detector designed to measure the
radiation environment in Earth orbit. When it reached space, it revealed a much lower cosmic ray count
than expected. It was theorized that the instrument might have been saturated from a very strong radiation
from a belt of charged particles trapped in space by Earth’s magnetic field. The launch of another U.S
satellite confirmed the existence of these radiations.
Explorer I revolved around the Earth in a looping orbit that took it as close as 354 kilometers (220 miles) to
Earth and as far as 2,515 kilometers (1,563 miles). The satellite would complete an orbit in 114.8 minutes,
which accounts to 12.54 orbits every twenty-four hours. The satellite was 203 centimeters (80 inches) and
15.9 centimeters (6.25 inches) in diameter. Explorer I made its final transmission on May 23, 1958,
entering the Earth’s atmosphere and burned up on March 31, 1970. It weighed 14 kilograms (30.8 pounds).
Science could not stop with only the launching of satellites, man had to be sent in space for a better
understanding. Before man could be sent into space, dogs were sent into space. This had to be done to
ensure that man could do well in that environment. The viability of life support systems had to be tested
before humans could enter space.
The Soviets were the first to send dogs to space. They sent two dogs named Belka and Stelka were the first
living beings to return from space. The Soviets spent months to train these dogs. 40 mice, 2 rats and
several plants accompanied the dogs. The main objective of sending the dogs in space was to test the
condition in outer space beyond the Earth’s protective ozone layer, effects of weightlessness on living
organisms and effects of stress on behavior. The dogs were launched into space on August 19, 1960 aboard
the Sputnik V spacecraft.
Now that various biological processed and sending different organisms to space tested the effects that
microgravity and space flight might have on man, it was time for the next big leap. Man was now ready to
be sent in space. Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut was the first man to make it to space on April 12,
1961. He made a 108-minute orbital flight in Vostok I spacecraft. The spacecraft orbited Earth at the speed
of 27,400 kilometers per hour. His flight lasted 108 minutes.
Once in orbit, Yuri Gagarin had no control over his spacecraft. His reentry was controlled by a computer
program, which sent radio commands to his space capsule. Although the controls were locked, there was
key that was placed in an envelope, should an emergency arise. Upon reentry, Gagarin was ejected from the
space capsule and landed with the help of a parachute.
Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the first American to go to space on May 5, 1961. He flew the freedom-7
capsule atop a Mercury-Redstone rocket. He had a fifteen-minute suborbital flight. He had a total of two
space flights in his lifetime.
But we were now aiming for the moon and not just reaching space. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin
were the first to bring the idea of “Man on Moon” to reality on July 20,1969. The space flight Apollo 11
carried them to moon from Kennedy Space Center.
The main reason for the Eagle to land on moon was to accomplish the national goal set by president, John
F. Kennedy: “Land men on the lunar surface and return them home safely.” It also served the purpose of
scientific exploration of the lunar module. The reason for this long journey to the moon also included
deployment of television camera to transmit signal to Earth, deployment of solar wind composition
experiments, Seismic experiment package, laser ranging retro reflector and gathering samples of the lunar-
surface materials.
With people being launched into space in capsules, scientists had to come up with more effective ways of
returning safely to flight. Hence, came the making of space shuttles. Along with man, space shuttles also
would cargo satellites to and from space.

4. NASA’s first space shuttle launch was on April 12, 1981 that set high records of achievement and
endurance through 30 years of mission. With Columbia setting the start, followed by challenger, discovery,
Atlantis and Endeavour, the space crafts have repeatedly carried people to space and back, recovered and
repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space- The
International Space Station. The space shuttle Enterprise never flew into space. It was designed and built to
test how orbiters would work. The enterprise can now be seen at Smithsonian Museum Center near
Washington D.C.
The STS is abbreviated for Space Transportation System. The STS -1 was the first test space shuttle that
carried man to space. It was launched as space shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981 and returned to Earth
on the April 14. The flight carrying John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen orbited Earth 37 times. The
mission objectives of this flight were to demonstrate safe launch into the orbit and safe return of the orbiter
and crew, verify combined performance of the orbiter, rocket boosters and external tank. The major
systems were tested successfully on first flight of STS.
The challenger was supposed to serve as a test vehicle for the space shuttle program. Leaving behind its
Earth bound beginning, the STA-099 made it to space. In the later 1970’s NASA strived for a lighter
weight vehicle. A test vehicle was needed to ensure that the lighter airframe could handle the stress of the
space flight. On January 28, 1986, a massive disaster occurred which broke apart challenger 73 seconds
into flight killing its seven-crew members. The crew members of challenger were: Francis R. Scobee,
Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, Ronald E. Mcnair, Gregory B. Jarvis and Sharon
Christa McAuliffe.
The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean. Disintegration of the entire vehicle began after an O-
Ring seal in the right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. The O-Ring failure caused a breach in the
SRB joint that it sealed, allowing the pressurized gas from within the solid rocket motor to reach the
outside and impinge upon the adjacent SRB attachment hardware and external fuel tank. This led to the
separation of the right hand SRB shaft attachment and structural failure of the external tank. Aerodynamic
forces then promptly broke up the orbiter.
The vehicle fragments were found on the ocean floor after a long search operation. The exact time of death
of the astronauts aboard the shuttle is unknown; it is known that most of the astronauts survived the initial
break up of the orbiter. This accident has been a case study for engineering safety and work ethics.
The loss of precious lives did not stop with the Challenger. We lost seven more precious lives when
Columbia met with an accident on January 16, 2003. The flight STS 107 was on a sixteen-day research trip
with crew-members, Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown,
Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon.
When the world lost Kalpana Chawla, India lost the star of the nation. She brought intense pride to India by
being the first Indian woman to make it to space. Born in a small town Karnal, Haryana, India, this girl
made the most and remarkable journey from Karnal to Space. Chawla flew into space twice. Former Indian
president, APJ Abdul Kalam said, “The remarkable journey of courage and determination that made this
Indian woman, hailing from a small town in Haryana, a citizen of the Milky Way will remain a source of
pride for all.” Her life was an unforgettable story of a woman who reached for the stars through her sheer
perseverance, indomitable intelligence and immense belief in her self.
The Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003. Columbia was the 113th
mission. It was the oldest
shuttle in the fleet being the first space shuttle to be launched into space. Columbia met its fatal end after
entering the Earth’s atmosphere. When Columbia reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, all data from the
vehicle was lost. Several white pieces were seen trailing from the shuttle by the residents of north Texas.
The orbiter broke up during its re entry into the atmosphere for the landing.
Investigation was held as to what caused the disaster. Initial speculation was that vertical tail fin broke
apart. It was said that that left wing was hit by a piece of foam from the space shuttle external tank (ET)

5. during launch. At the time of launch, NASA did not think it was a safety concern. Even if it was, there was
not much that could have been done because the astronauts could not fix the problem in space and they
could not go to the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS was in a whole different orbit and going
there would mean being lost in space for the crew.
Atlantis made brought the space shuttle flights to a halt when it rolled to a stop at the Kennedy Space
Center, Florida on July 21, 2011. The space shuttles served as out first reusable spacecraft helping us
discover beyond we imagined to. The spacecrafts did not only require high technology but also large
amount of work was needed. The three remaining space shuttles have now become nothing more than
museum pieces.
IV. Survey
The concepts of “discovery” and “exploration” have often been found in the study of space travel. Space
exploration is a vital part of human growth.
Space exploration has inspired a whole new generation to put their minds to work in the aero field. The
previous astronauts and people from the industry have made growing minds to think of a future in the field
of astronautics, rocket science and aeronautics. If NASA continued to put people in space, then it will be
letting these achieving minds to be able to reach farther than anyone today.
NASA plays a major role in environmental research. NASA holds big work in researching air quality,
climate change, alternate energy and near Earth objects; which we think will destroy Earth in the near
future. The Environmentally responsible Aviation (ERA) project to explore and document the feasibility,
benefits and technical risks of vehicle concepts and enabling technologies that will reduce the impact of
aviation on the environment was created by none, other than NASA. The research has NASA has provided
the airplanes today with lower fuel consumption, lower noise levels and reduction in harmful emissions.
The ERA interests itself in neutralizing or reducing the negative impacts of aviation on the environment.
We hear constant complaints about the unstoppable growth in population on the planet. The current
population of the Earth has been recorded to be 6.8 Billion people. The number is already beyond the
capacity of the Earth. Also, have we not dreamed of space colonization for years now? If we do not find an
alternative soon, a few more years down the road, we will all be living in skyscraper, have out animal
habitat destroyed and smog up the air we breathe beyond an acceptable point.
Another major concern for our race today is the exploitation of natural resources. We are using up the
Earth’s resources really fast. There is unlimited supply of energy resources out there in space. We just need
to be able to bring them back to Earth, which today, we are beyond of capable of doing. It is just a matter of
time, until we come up with a solid idea to put the plan in action. This step needs to be taken fast because
we are running out of resources. Space exploration will help us put ourselves in perspective and realize
what we are doing to our home.
The era of space travel was when America accepted a goal boldly and reached nothing short of success. We
cannot let the hard work of so many go down the drain. We should have been on Mars 20 years ago. And
today we are still thinking on whether we should be sending man there or not?
The presence of water on mars is a major sign of the possibility of existence of life on mars. Whether life
exists on mars or not, we do not know yet. But, would we not like to know? NASA’s four main goals in the
project are: to determine whether life ever arose on mars, characterize the climate of mars, characterize the
geology of mars and prepare for human exploration.
The end of space shuttle program cannot mean the end of putting Americans in space. NASA has a strong
program of exploration, technology development and scientific research that will last for years to come.
When President Barack Obama visited the hallowed ground in Florida where every American has left the

6. planet, his vision did not include the desire for man’s next great leap. Project constellation is dead. The next
big step in extending the human habitat to moon and beyond has been cut from the next budget year.
Putting an end to human exploration would mean wasting Nine Billion dollars spent on research. America
could have been in a different place today with that money. So, why would any human brain thinking
straight want to throw the money down the drain? Going to the moon will still be expensive, but NASA
feels that the benefits outweigh the cost. The technology that we have now would allow us to do much
more detailed study than in the past. Returning to moon is an important step in the mars project. There are
valuable resources on the moon that can be put to use for other missions. NASA strong believes that these
resources can be extracted and stored at deposit sites for using in other missions, particularly by manned
missions to mar
V. Conclusion
The initial cost of space mission can be expensive, it can more than pay for itself in the long run. With the
expected advances in science and technology that can be expected, there is great overall benefit. The fact
that man has always made an effort to understand the universe better is a strong enough reason to continue
manned missions to space. Men and women have lost their lives in the quest to explore the unknown. We
need space program to run almost all the technology we use on Earth today. We need satellites to run cell
phones, televisions, radio etc. The space program has had a continuous impact in the development and
improvement in the technologies out today. We cannot risk falling behind in the race that has been started
years back. The United States needs to keep sending people to space. The Russians and Chinese are not
putting an end to manned missions, so why should we fail in keeping pace? Space exploration is a field
admired by most and we cannot be in a better time to progress it further.
VI. Acknowledgment
I would like to thank