The Aerospace and Defence expo, revealed the military capabilities of many nations including the host nation, South Africa. It showcased man’s progress in aviation over a 100 year period. The invention of the airplane shook the planet and it never looked the same again. Airborne powered flight enhanced our power of movement and gave us the awesome vision to observe the earth from high altitudes.
From 1908 to 2022, man has traversed the skies above and sent his aerial machines into the cosmos and into our vast planetary neighbours clocking millions of kilometres.
Today and every day the ability to travel anywhere has opened up a level of globalisation unheard of in the previous century. Space flights became a reality as a result of the aeroplane invention over 114 years ago, since then over 550 people have rocketed themselves into the realm of the vast and never ending cosmos. Today, as a result of powered flight,we have the technology to peer into deep space.We record and store data on many galaxies dating back to over 200 million years after the Big Bang.Today’s space telescopes have unearthed the most distant galaxies seen.
Supersonic commercial travel will become a reality by 2030. By fine-tuning sonic booms into sonic thumps, aero engineers hope to domesticate faster-than-sound transport. Low boom supersonic planes will become a reality as they dominate high speed travel over the North Atlantic. They will be carbon-neutral, using 100% sustainable aviation fuel, reducing drastically the pollution of space and the stratosphere. Satellites became a reality due to aviation technology.They affect our lives without us realising it; they make us safer, provide modern conveniences and broadcast entertainment.
Television, phones, navigation, business and finance are all reliant on satellite communication. Before the space age, astro scientists were limited to studying the vast universe with ground-based telescopes, and could only use information from parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that penetrated the earth’s atmosphere.
The James Webb space telescope today is arguably the most valuable astronomical tool built. Sadly, man in his dangerous quest for military and political dominance, has begun to utilise the advance in aviation technology, to attain supremacy in space, outer areas of our stratosphere, and in aircraft military technology, thereby placing the whole of humanity in peril. Unless sanity prevails, our brilliant strides in aviation, could become our tombstones.
FAROUK ARAIE
Johannesburg
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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