Airplanes, automobiles and home appliances all became commonplace during the 20th century, but one particular development ranks among the invention of the wheel and the printing press: mankind’s first forays into outer space.
In an age when governments across the world are struggling to conserve funds, it’s hard to imagine that the final frontier was once the battleground for a competition between the world’s two dominant powers, or that a generation of young children once dreamed of becoming astronauts.
Yet despite the relative neglect that outer space has received in recent decades, our knowledge of the universe is an achievement in itself.
Humans have known of other planets in our solar system as far out as Saturn since antiquity. It was not until the past 250 years, though, that we have observed any other planets beyond the gas giant best known for its countless icy rings.
On March 18, 1781, an astronomer found Uranus by sheer accident. William Herschel, a German-born Englishman, squinted through a telescope in search of closely clustered stars.
Instead, Herschel observed a disc-like object. At first glance, he believed it was either a star or a comet, but the body was clearly non-stellar. Baffled, Herschel continued to watch what he dubbed the “Georgian star,” in honor of King George III.
Eventually, Herschel consulted with Anders Lexell, a Russian and fellow astrologist. After Lexell calculated the form’s orbit, he proposed that it was actually an undiscovered planet. Herschel agreed.
Word of the Georgian star spread, but its moniker didn’t. The French opposed to the name’s reference to British royalty, instead referring to the planet as “Herschel” before it would officially be called Uranus worldwide.
Even though we have found all the planets in our solar system, there is still much to learn. The 2006 decision to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet proves that even our relatively small solar system holds many secrets.
So as a society, we should value space exploration; and furthermore, the sciences at large. Today, outer space is a place of cooperation between different nations. Besides, why should our knowledge be held back by money, especially if programs such as NASA comprise such a small portion of a nation’s budget?
Perhaps one day, popular interest will be back in space. But for now we shouldn’t forget about it, or anything else that doesn’t directly pertain to humans.
Other organisms are becoming extinct at record rates while we humans quarrels among ourselves.
We should realize that Earth — or rather, our Earth — isn’t all that there is out there.
Moriah Krawec is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University and a columnist for The Post. What will humans find in space? Email Moriah at mk141811@ohiou.edu.
