Will Humans Ever Live Beyond our Solar System?

Every week, the Wonder Newsroom asks our community to pose questions on topics confronting our world today.

Space Exploration is defined as an investigation–by means of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft–of the reaches of the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere and to use of that information to increase our knowledge of the cosmos and benefit humanity.

Can mankind survive on other worlds? Are we alone in the universe? Where do we go next? Whatever does lie beyond our solar system will surely raise more questions than answers…

…so we gave it our best shot! This week, our analysts answered your questions about Space Exploration in the 21st Century 🚀

SPACE EXPLORATION, BY THE NUMBERS:

  • $135B is the total cost of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to put a man on the moon when adjusted for inflation.

  • 274 days, on average, for a manned rock to travel to Mars from Earth (140 million miles).

  • 85% of the weight of the Saturn V rockets (2,900 tons) is made up entirely of fuel.

  • 6,542 satellites orbiting the Earth as of Jan 1, 2022.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO SEND THE NEXT HUMAN INTO SPACE?

Source: Statista

Check out the 3rd edition of the Wonder Newsroom below where we ask & answer the most pressing questions about Space Exploration:

  • Which exo-planets (if any) are most likely to sustain human life outside of Earth?

  • What is Helium-3 and why it is so important?

  • How have portrayals of space travel in science-fiction media informed modern-day rocket design?

  • What major ethical concerns are there regarding space exploration?

  • What are the health risks related to prolonged time spent in space?

  • How many active space missions is NASA overseeing right now?

  • Who "owns" the Moon and it's resources?

  • How feasible is a manned expedition beyond our solar system?

 
Chris Connorsspace exploration, elon musk, intelligent life