Liberal Arts Blog — Space (I): From Stonehenge to Galileo to Sputnik
Liberal Arts Blog — Wednesday is the Joy of Science, Engineering, and Technology Day
Today’s Topic: Space (I) From Stonehenge (eyes) to Galileo (telescopes) to Sputnik (rockets)
Stone age humans must have been glued to the night sky the way we are to televisions and computer screens today. It was the only show in town. Nothing could compete with it. To be honest, I don’t think anything can compete with it today. It was the contemplation of the mysteries of the night sky that led to mathematics and science — to Stonehenge and the Mayan temples constructed with a precision that still astounds. Today, I launch a series on space with notes on three somewhat randomly selected milestones in that history — Sputnik, The Hubble Telescope, and the Walk on the Moon. I will continue the series indefinitely. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
SPUTNIK (1957) CHANGED THE WORLD — let’s start with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
1. NASA was established in 1958. Sputnik was the reason. We had to catch up with the Soviets.
2. The Soviet launching of the world’s first artificial satellite was the wake-up call of wake-up calls. That the evil empire was ahead of the United States technologically was unthinkable. We were the home of the geniuses of the Manhattan Project for heaven’s sake! How could this have happened! Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction writer, declared that the United States was now a second-rate power.
3. The panic and anxiety were off the charts. Sputnik was launched on October 4th 1957. Between October 6th and October 31st The New York Times mentioned the satellite in 279 articles (11 per day).
NB: To close the science and technology “education gap,” federal education spending was increased six fold with the National Defense Education Act (1958). John F. Kennedy campaigned on a plan to close the “missile gap” and when elected promised to land a man on the moon. “If the Soviets control space they can control the earth, as in past centuries the nation that controlled the seas dominated the continents.” Eisenhower dismissed Kennedy’s plan as “a stunt.” Apparently, Kennedy admitted in private that the space program was a “waste of money” but could not pass over the political opportunity that this crisis afforded. Carpe diem. Make hay while the sun shines.
APOLLO 11: Neil Armstrong (1930–2012), Buzz Aldrin (1930 — ), Michael Collins and “Whitey on the Moon”
1. Kennedy’s promise was fulfilled on July 20, 1969, when Apollo II landed on the surface of the moon. Neil Armstrong was the commander and the first person to walk on the moon. Buzz Aldrin was the pilot of the lunar module and is pictured above. Michael Collins was the Command Module pilot who flew it in orbit alone while Armstrong and Aldrin were on the lunar surface for two and a quarter hours collecting 47 pounds of lunar material.
2. “While most people celebrated the accomplishment, disenfranchised Americans saw it as a symbol of the divide in America, evidenced by protesters outside of Kennedy Space Center the day before Apollo 11 launched…New phrases permeated into the English language. “If they can send a man to the Moon, why can’t they …?” became a common saying following Apollo 11.”
3. “Whitey on the Moon” by Gil Scott-Heron (1949–2011), considered by some to be the first rapper ever, conveyed the feelings of many: “A rat done bit my sister Nell. (with Whitey on the moon) Her face and arms began to swell. (and Whitey’s on the moon) I can’t pay no doctor bill. (but Whitey’s on the moon) Ten years from now I’ll be paying still. (while Whitey’s on the moon)”
NB: Incredibly perhaps, the United States remains the only country in the world to have sent a crewed mission to the moon. The US sent six crewed missions between 1969 and 1972. All of the landings were on the near side of the moon. The only soft landing on the far side of the moon was by China (2019). Total moon landings by country: US 32, Soviet Union 23, China 7, Japan 2, Luxembourg 1, India 1, European Union, 1.
Buzz Aldrin
How Many Countries Have Been To The Moon?
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE — pity Galileo (1564–1642)
1. What would Galileo Galilei have given for a chance to look through the Hubble Telescope? Galileo was the first human to publish a report on observations of the heavens as seen through a telescope. That was in 1609 and that work was Siderius Nuncius (“The Starry Messenger”). It includes mind-blowing sketches of the moon, the planets, and the stars that shattered prevailing dogma. If the scientific revolution is be given a birthday, is 1609 the best choice? The two chief competitors would be 1543 for Copernicus’s “On the Revolution of the Heavenlly Spheres” and 1687 for Newton’s “Principia.” My pick: 1609.
2. The Hubble was launched in 1990 and the main telescope has a diameter of 7 feet and 10 inches. It is in low earth orbit (about 336 miles) and has a period of 95 minutes. Its decay date is expected to be between 2030 and 2040. It weighs 24,490 pounds and was manufactured by Lockheed and Perkin Elmer.
3. “Hubble’s orbit outside the distortion of the atmosphere of the earth allows it to capture extremely high-resolution images with substantially lower background light than ground-based telescopes. It has recorded some of the most detailed visible light images, allowing a deep view into space. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as determining the rate of expansion of the universe…Hubble is the only telescope designed to be maintained in space by astronauts. Five Space Shuttle missions have repaired, upgraded, and replaced systems on the telescope, including all five of the main instruments.”
NB: The original plan was to pick one image from the Hubble. The first choice was the one of Jupiter above in honor of Galileo. But how could I not include the star nurseries called “The Pillars of Creation”?
https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2020/news-2020-42
FOOTNOTE — what space quotes are most worth remembering? Three candidates
1. “With more than half a billion people watching live on television, Neil Armstrong climbed down the ladder and proclaimed: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
2. “Aldrin joined him shortly afterwards, offering the people at home a simple but powerful description of the surface of the moon: “magnificent desolation.”
3. “Before heading back to Earth, the crew left behind an American flag, a patch honoring the fallen crew of Apollo 1, and a plaque on one of the Eagle’s legs. It reads, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 AD: We came in peace for all mankind.”
NB: How many human tears were shed in awe and wonder in July 1969?
85 Inspiring Space Quotes for All Mankind
BACKGROUND — Stonehenge, Mayan Calendar and Temples
Archaeoastronomy and Stonehenge
A LINK TO THE LAST THREE YEARS OF POSTS ORGANIZED BY THEME:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned this week related to science, engineering, or technology. Or, even better, the coolest or most important thing you learned in your life related to science and engineering.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. Or to cement in your mind something that you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply about something dear to your heart. Continuity is key to depth of thought.
