Data entry is applicable to not just career fields and businesses but also in the world of science including future space exploration. The data collected by NASA’s state of the art Orion Spacecraft, an exploration vehicle designed to carry humans further into space will go a long way in developing path-breaking inventions and applications in the world of future space exploration. The data from Orion could hold the key to a new era of innovation in space travel, technology, and exploration.
Data Collection through the Orion
The basic objective of launching an aircraft is to collect valuable data as they complete their sojourns of observation and study of planets, stars, asteroids, and even Earth. The data gathered from images and tactile samples will hold the key to discover the unexplored secrets and mysteries of the galaxy. Many scientists, including the theoretical physicist Steven Hawking, had opined that by analyzing this data, it is possible to find if there are other potentially habitable planets or alien life on other planets. The collected data will thus ensure valuable inputs in the study of the galaxy and the planets.
The design of Orion Spacecraft, conceived in 2012 by America’s NASA scientists and engineers remains a glowing testimony of the revolutionary scope of man’s innovation to reach space beyond the realms of human habitat. Considered as one of the most sophisticated spacecraft ever built, Orion can explore space and sustain a human crew during space travel. Orion, when launched, will make a futuristic vehicle for humankind to explore space and eventually, Mars. After a series of meticulous flights, landing and impact tests, Orion made its test flight in 2014, during which a lot of data samples were collected from various material samples, plumbing and gas system, and vent stabilizers among others for threadbare analysis. The data analysis reports can be used to apply corrections to design issues like the parachute system or the protective module.
The initial data collected from Orion was in the range of over 500 gigabytes, which was then sent to NASA’s Langley Research Center for conversion and analysis by the agency’s experts, which can then be utilized to make critical changes in the design of the space station. As per the data analysis study, Orion’s structures, pyrotechnics, launch abort system, the navigation system, and guidance software were adjusted. Thus the flight test data makes a crucial part in the design and development process of the Orion.
Data Utilization for Future Space Exploration
Data derived from these flight tests will not just come handy in making changes in the design of the space station but also in its successful functioning and exploration of the outer space. This information collected from Orion’s exterior or processed from countless image files will make it possible for NASA to design futuristic ways to pursue space travel. More than just a space exploration vessel it will empower NASA with the requisite technology for advancements in space travel.
Space exploration crew need to transfer humongous amount of data to Earth, which at present is very slow for their needs at around a few hundred megabits per second. While in deep space, the pace of data transmission can further slow down to a few hundred kilobits per second. NASA is developing optical communication technology and laser transfer of data to cater to the demands of bulk amounts of data transfer by the radio communication systems. By processing the huge amounts of data fast, Orion will not just ensure the safety of the spacecraft and its crew but will help NASA to monitor the craft for flight stability.
The biggest advantage is that the transferred data will encompass exciting details of the actual flight including the images of the flight path including stars, planets and its temporary docking spot of the International Space Station. Every piece of data will be recorded, cataloged, and shared across several international science research centers in different countries where they can learn from the collected data and contribute to future technological developments.
The basic building blocks of all branches of sciences including space science include millions of components of data. Whether it has been collected through long journeys across planetary systems or flight tests from spacecraft or lab tests and research studies, data will help the astronomers to create new means of space enabled technologies and future space exploration.
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