Hello to anyone who may be reading this. Not sure if this blog is going to be an ongoing thing or just for the duration of the class that's requiring it, but while I'm doing it, here's what I like to talk about: space, futurism, flying.
I believe the most important endeavor humanity is undertaking is the effort to expand beyond Earth. The more we are able to live, work, play, create, explore in Earth orbit, on other bodies, in all the space in between, and eventually to the stars, the better prepared we are for unexpected catastrophes or opportunities beyond what we can currently conceive or deal with. The universe is an enormous place--staggeringly, unfathomably large--and as impressive as our ability to observe and learn about things billions of light-years away is, we are still blind to virtually everything that exists, and unable to harness resources, opportunities, or protections much beyond our fragile atmosphere. The only way we can chip away at that mountain of ignorance and vulnerability is to reach ever outward, and because we can't know when catastrophe or opportunity may appear, there is no reason for delay.
I wholeheartedly believe this. At the same time, if I'm honest with myself, my strongest motivator to develop space technology is to go to space myself; to see the wonder of the infinite beyond, to experience microgravity and the other conditions we can never fully replicate on Earth. Space is just plain cool--also dangerous, which speaks to the thrill-seeker in me. I hope that I will be able to set foot on another celestial body in my lifetime, and I have no doubt that some humans will--we will return to the Moon within this decade, and Mars will not elude us much longer. If these two purposes--the furtherance of humanity's longest-term existential challenges, and my personal visceral desires--happen to align, then it's pretty clear what I need to do with my life. Ad Astra, Inter Astra.
Now that I've gotten the grand vision out of the way...For SYSE 515, my objectives are to
- shake off the rust from not having done serious math in a while,
- gain a better understanding of how systems engineering can be applied to aircraft, spacecraft, and other complex human-rated systems,
- meet interesting people who enjoy sharing knowledge, experience, resources, and humor.
