What Has Astronomy Done for You Lately Essay Example for Free

What Has Astronomy Done for You Lately Essay In the article â€Å"What has Astronomy done for you lately† it opens my eyes up to all the relative ways astronomy contributes to our society today. It is mentioned in the article that the funding for space launching and research for the program estimates around $8 billion. During these stringent economic times some question regarding the funding of these programs based of the actual need and benefit. Many people seemed to think that there was nothing that the universe actually contributed to our day to day lives. That idea stands to be corrected. In this article it points out several different ways that Astronomy and keeping it funded acts as an instrumental piece in many things that we rely on today. One way astronomy has made a contribution to our daily lives is the use of the GPS. Albert Einstein was an influential part of the creation and use of the GPS system that we know today, based on his theory. The first operational GPS system that was used was in 1978. Due to all the experimental success and the research put into the atomic clocks makes it what we now use today. In being in the era of technology we have done away with paper maps and now rely on GPS to get us to and from our destinations. The GPS has not only assist in saving lives but the industry is also estimated at half a billion dollars. Another attribute of Astronomy was the creation, discovery, and use of wireless internet. It started with a physicist by the name of Stephen Hawking and his predictions and research of the evaporation of black holes. Then after, others attempted to complete his research to find the evaporating black holes. Their attempts came with no success. John O’Sullivan, a physicist, joins a radio physics department after the failed attempt to detect exploding black holes. He and a team design a Fast Fourier Transfer (FFT) chip and receive a patent for it. The FFT chip is then used as a reliable basis of the wireless network. WIFI as we know of today was discovered due to failed attempts of tracking faint signals of exploding black holes. The treatment for cancer is another aspect on which astronomy research has contributed to. Studies were being conducted on how the Sun produces atoms and how various atoms block different wavelengths of light. In 1992 a team of collaborators studied how atoms in the layers of the Sun and other stars interact with the light trying to escape known as the Iron Project which succeed the Opacity Project. Later they discovered that with different wavelengths some atoms interact strongly with radiation especially in the X-ray region. Combining this observation with small amounts of the gold atom correctly placed could flood and kill cancerous tumors. This development could definitely make the treatment of cancer less painful. This article has provided me with a bigger appreciation on the contributions of Astronomy. Just because it isn’t up front and in your face doesn’t mean that it isn’t beneficial to us. From the GPS, Cancer treatment, and Wireless Internet Astronomy has made a large contribution on many aspects of life.