Spring Break
Space explorers will make first mark on skies
Scott Conover
Issue date: 6/1/09 Section: Forum
The exploration of space is one of the most difficult and dangerous endeavors. It will take a very hardy traveler to make the voyage into space and survive the settlement beyond.
The vast majority of first-generation space explorers and settlers will not only possess useful and applicable skills, but they will also possess incredible drive and ambition to succeed in their endeavors. They will also possess a few necessary attributes that often characterize entrepreneurs, innovators and free-thinkers. This is due to the fact that if would-be explorers do not possess many of these attributes, they will perish in the void of space.
Yet, if the first space explorers are innovative, clever, tough and perhaps even lucky, they may earn for themselves a living, a home and a place in the annals of human history.
From cosmic radiation to deteriorating bone structures and muscle mass, space exploration contains many dangers. In order to cope with and overcome those difficulties, it is very likely that the space explorers and settlers of the near future will have sound bodies, minds and mentalities.
Moreover, it is very likely that space explorers, similar to explorers in the past, will have unusually independent mind-sets. Specifically, it is likely that these settlers will possess one or more the following traits: a preference for autonomy, an inherent distrust of authority and a strong desire to explore, learn and grow.
A preference for autonomy is likely to be the most common attribute of space explorers and settlers. Living in space for long periods of time will take a heavy psychological toll on almost everyone. The ability to enjoy being adrift in the middle of nowhere while surrounded by cosmic rays and void will be essential for long-term survival.
In addition, many people require the presence of their peers to feel at home, but a settler or explorer may go days or weeks without the company of others. In space, the inability to thrive autonomously in an environment for long periods of time will be an effective death sentence for most highly extroverted people.
The vast majority of first-generation space explorers and settlers will not only possess useful and applicable skills, but they will also possess incredible drive and ambition to succeed in their endeavors. They will also possess a few necessary attributes that often characterize entrepreneurs, innovators and free-thinkers. This is due to the fact that if would-be explorers do not possess many of these attributes, they will perish in the void of space.
Yet, if the first space explorers are innovative, clever, tough and perhaps even lucky, they may earn for themselves a living, a home and a place in the annals of human history.
From cosmic radiation to deteriorating bone structures and muscle mass, space exploration contains many dangers. In order to cope with and overcome those difficulties, it is very likely that the space explorers and settlers of the near future will have sound bodies, minds and mentalities.
Moreover, it is very likely that space explorers, similar to explorers in the past, will have unusually independent mind-sets. Specifically, it is likely that these settlers will possess one or more the following traits: a preference for autonomy, an inherent distrust of authority and a strong desire to explore, learn and grow.
A preference for autonomy is likely to be the most common attribute of space explorers and settlers. Living in space for long periods of time will take a heavy psychological toll on almost everyone. The ability to enjoy being adrift in the middle of nowhere while surrounded by cosmic rays and void will be essential for long-term survival.
In addition, many people require the presence of their peers to feel at home, but a settler or explorer may go days or weeks without the company of others. In space, the inability to thrive autonomously in an environment for long periods of time will be an effective death sentence for most highly extroverted people.
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