4th October 1957…It was supposed to be another day in the Cold War for the White House. Nestled in their belief in technological superiority over their communist rivals, the Americans didn’t have a lot to worry about. That was to change. Turning to the Soviet radio, the Americans were informed of a new ground-breaking achievement by the Soviets that changed their perception completely. The Soviet space program had managed to send a creation not much larger than a beach ball out into the vastness of space and even recorded a radio signal that it sent back to Earth.
The name given to this object was Sputnik, which eventually became the first ever artificial satellite of Earth. It also heralded a new era of space exploration. Sputnik continued to send radio signals, the only proof of its viable existence for three weeks before its power source, three silver-zinc batteries ran out and it was pulled into the Earth’s atmosphere by aerodynamic drag in January, 1958.
This was the beginning of the fascination of human beings with space and rapidly turned into a national obsession and a matter of pride for nations who considered them to be the pioneers of technology. The Soviet Union and the US were direct competitors in this space race.
The Soviets were the first to send an animal into space the very next year in November 1958 on their shuttle Sputnik 2. More than a decade later in 1969, aboard the Apollo 11 lander, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin became the first men on the moon’s surface. This marked a new chapter of space exploration as humans for the very first time in their recorded history, landed on the surface of the moon.
The name of the first aircraft to venture into space was Sputnik which in Russian meant traveller. This was of paramount importance as space is not a destination but rather a window into the unknown. Space is constantly increasing in size at the befogging rate of 41.9 miles per second per megaparsec. That caters to a seemingly endless possibility of exploration and advancement.
Even as space fever gripped nations and communities across the globe, one particular incident made it an even more sought-after hobby and left an eternal question to the fore,’ Are we alone?’ On August 15th, 1977, Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio perceived a strong narrowband signal from space that attracted the attention of top astronomers. This was called the ‘Wow’ signal after the expression of the person who first recorded it.
It became the doorway of our imagination of life outside Earth, the extra-terrestrial life. As several movie studios gripped this alien fever and produced multiple movies depicting aliens of all different shapes and forms, the top astronomers of the planet were planning to find definitive proof of their existence. Inspired by Sputnik, the ‘traveller’, the Voyager program marked a new achievement in the field of space exploration.
The same year as the ‘Wow’ signal, NASA exploited the favourable alignment of the four planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, to launch the Voyager probe to fly past them while collecting important data for transmission back to Earth. Armed with cameras, magnetometers and other sophisticated instruments, the Voyager program has become our most trusted source of information about these planets, millions of lightyears from Earth.
Close-up images revealed mysteries about Jupiter’s complex cloud forms, winds and storm systems even as Saturn’s rings were found to possess enigmatic braids, kinks and spokes. The Voyager eventually went too far from the Earth to send back any signals. The scientists were aware of this and hence they had placed a disc containing the different sounds of the planet on the Voyager and even imprinted the methodology of making a record player on the structure.
This was a result of the vivid imagination of many scientists of an era long after the extinction of humans even as information about our daily lives would have been successfully passed onto some alien civilization miles from Earth. The Voyager might get the distinction of being the only human-made product to live past the expiry date of its creators.
Space exploration was initially buoyed forward by our curiosity to learn more about the world that was beyond our reach and subject to imagination for our ancestors. Soon after the launch of Sputnik and the beginning of the space race, many countries decided to use space as a means of influencing life on Earth. Around 65 years since the launch of the first-ever artificial satellite, earth today boasts of having 6,542 satellites. Of these 3,372 satellites are considered active and are used by their respective companies.
These were used to monitor the weather on Earth and record typhoon movements. They act as an advance warning system for many countries regarding approaching natural calamities. Satellite imagery armed with GPS tracking can be used to predict earthquakes while others can be used to foresee the development of a flood by advance measurement of the depth of water on the ground. The data can be extrapolated to determine the extent of the flooding along with the speed and direction of its progression.
On Feb 11, 2022, an American private company published some pictures taken by its satellite that raised the eyebrows of many expert analysts. The picture was taken from the Ukrainian-Russian border and pointed out several new Russian military deployments at multiple locations near Ukraine. There seemed to be an amassing of troops and weaponry on the Russian side of the border along with significant military build-up on the Belarusian side of its border with Ukraine as well.
This came at a time when Ukraine and Russia seemed to be at loggerheads with each other over a variety of issues. The Russian government was also participating in joint drills with the Belarusians, a long-term ally of Russia in the Black Sea as well. The Russian government vehemently denied any invasion plans for Ukraine. 9 days later, the Russian army invaded Ukraine with full force. The satellites had already foreseen that over a week ago.
In recent years, satellites have been increasingly being tied to the military. As these objects can spy on anything on the earth with impunity, satellites have begun to be used for military spying. These are the reconnaissance satellites or intelligence satellites. In this world currently, there are between 339 and 485 military satellites of which around 154 of them belong to the American government. The Russian Federation is known to have 71 military satellites, while China is third at 63.
30 years after the end of the Cold War, the world once again is preparing for a bipolar world with an ageing superpower on one side and a young Asian side on the other. In this new theatre, it is expected that any aggression on the surface of the earth would eventually spread into space. On the 31st of July, 2022, the US government confirmed having killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a drone strike in Afghanistan.
This assassination comes a year after the American withdrawal from the country. This successful counter-terrorism operation which was carried out by the CIA right in the yoke of the Taliban, was made possible due to cutting-edge technology that combined satellite spying and drone firepower. The missiles that hit and killed the leader were shot from a drone miles away from Afghanistan.
It was however led by satellite imagery that pinpointed the location leaving a very small margin of error. This was just one example of the new forms of warfare where assassinations could be promptly carried out from halfway around the world.
For humans, space has always been an object of fascination. Behind the seemingly beautiful blanket of night sky covered with millions of glowing stars, lies the vastness of the Universe hiding its mysteries inside. Space exploration was initially buoyed by scientific curiosity and the showcasing of technological prowess.
Today it has become an integral part of the safety and security of humans even as it continues to fascinate many with its secrets. The fact that space has become a theatre for war means that we humans have almost made space our dominion as it has begun catering to all of our whims. Whether it’s for military or simple scientific purposes or even to find an alternative life form lightyears away from Earth, space exploration has left a permanent mark on the budget list of every nation with the technology and ambition to thrust itself forward.
By: Aratrik Tarafdar
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