Unit 4 New Challenges
Space: The Final Frontier
The need to explore new frontiers like the Arctic and the American ____ may have been sparked by curiosity, but a major reason was to discover new resources.
Without new resources and technology, the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century ____ not have led to the rise of new industries and the growth of cities.
In the late 20th century, ____ Information Technology Revolution connected the world and transformed economies.
Now, it seems that space ____ the latest frontier for entrepreneurs to explore.
Finding new resources and exploring the unique environment are new opportunities for those who dare to take up the ____
Asteroid Mining
The ____ system is composed of many rocks floating in space.
The large ones are called planets, and the ____ ones are called asteroids.
Research has shown that asteroids contain valuable ____ like gold and rare earth elements.
For example, one asteroid, 16 Psyche, is reported to consist mainly of gold and other precious metals, whose value is equal to billions of dollars per person on ____
From a space explorers’ perspective, however, the most valuable resources from asteroids are neither ____ precious metals nor rare mineral deposits.
That valuable resource could actually be water, and it seems to have been overlooked because it doesn’t seem as ____ as gold.
Water is expensive to ____ into space due to its weight and volume.
Having a space station with sufficient water supplies ____ orbit around Earth would make space explorations much easier.
No one knows for sure what ____ mining will look like, but it seems that robotic mining is most likely.
Robots will be sent to dig for target materials and send them back ____ Earth.
They will be programmed ____ explore the surface and identify materials, and be equipped for tasks such as drilling, collecting, and transporting.
They may work independently or be controlled remotely from ____
Unfortunately, these types ____ robots have yet to be developed since the technology is still young.
As technology continues to develop, better methods for obtaining materials will undoubtedly ____
Off-Earth Manufacturing
Being on ____ International Space Station (ISS) is a unique experience.
Astronauts live and work ____ microgravity, floating around instead of walking.
Researchers get to see ____ from a completely new perspective, and they get to work on important scientific research in conditions that are different from Earth’s.
Many manufacturers are interested in manufacturing in space because the quality of ____ lot of products manufactured on Earth is influenced by temperature, pressure, radiation, and even the effects of gravity.
Creating good conditions for certain types of manufacturing on Earth requires the use of a lot of energy and resources, but those ____ occur naturally in space.
Drugs, beauty and food products, and advanced materials are all potential candidates to ____ tested and produced in space.
For example, without the effects of gravity, products that require a uniform quality like cosmetics ____ be easier to mix.
Other materials like
Other materials like 3D ____ skin or muscle benefit from low pressure and gravity too.
Although the sun’s radiation can be unhealthy for our skin, getting away from the protective ____ of the atmosphere could also benefit the testing of products.
For example, fabrics and skin creams could be tested ____ their ability to protect against solar radiation.
Also, semiconductors and glass communication cables could be produced with higher purity and ____ faults.
Space technology has advanced greatly, and it seems that the cost of running a ____ program and improving it has decreased substantially since ambitious entrepreneurs have joined the adventure.
The conditions in space open up the ____ of manufacturing newer and better products.
Challenges remain, but it’s not unreasonable to imagine sending a message from a device equipped with semiconductors that were ____ in space.
The space ____ will ultimately reach a point where adventurous minds and their technological innovations will be able to travel safely to stars beyond the solar system.
The resources required to drive economic activity that have ____ far beyond the reach of humanity are becoming much more reachable.
The ____ is no longer about how; it’s about when.