Future Space Technology

Future space technology may be predicted by taking a quick look at the past, the present and the leading edge of current technologies. One can then make prognostications for the years going forward. Four main areas of future space technology are being perpetuated and developed right now which include the space tourism industry, scientists in space, general business in space and the military in space.

Future Space Technology

Even though there are now some definitive lines among these industries, in the future these lines will be blurred. For instance, right now the International Space Station (ISS) is used mainly for scientific experimentation, but a few space tourists have flown there and inhabited ISS as well.

Future space technology will see to it that space hotels and habitats will become not only part of the spacescape along with satellites and debris that orbit the Earth but will be part of colonization of the Moon and Mars and beyond. Of course these hotels and habitats in space will be used for not only tourists, but scientists, business people and military personnel as well.

But in order to get a clearer picture of future space technology let's take a look, one at a time, at space tourism, then scientists in space, then general business in space and finally the military in space. Space tourism is already taking place with multi-million dollar trips to the ISS. Shortly, trips into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will begin and the Spaceport in New Mexico will be a major hub.

Space tourism will begin with trips into LEO with a few minutes of zero gravity and some picture taking opportunities. But future space technology will evolve quickly and with the aid of government incentives, further X-prizes and private investments, tourists will also soon arrive at the Moon.

Before this arrival, though, space tourists will be treated to stays in space hotels and habitats as previously mentioned. This will open up the doors for further space flights or space adventures.

Space tourism companies are already thinking ahead at the possibilities of space sports and other adventures. To name a few adventures there will be private space walks, space "sky diving", asteroid walking (more in the future), space photo tourism, Moon rock climbing and space skiing on the Moon. Inside the space hotels there will be racquetball, simulated swimming and full gym equipment.

Speaking of sports, the emerging field of "rocket racing" at high altitudes will evolve into spaceplane racing in LEO and beyond. These drag races and "NASCAR in space" type of competitions will lead to further dollars spent in other space ventures.

Scientists and engineers have now been in space for decades. Future space technology provided by these scientists, engineers and researchers will fuel further advances in all areas of space travel, exploration and exploitation (for good and not so good purposes).

Using current technology robotic rovers have already been deployed into space. This will continue, advance and accelerate. Unmanned spacecraft will continue to deploy cameras, telescopes and other "eyes in the sky" at various strategic locations for both scientific and military purposes.

Like today's robots, future robots will start small in scale only to be scaled up over time. These robots will work in teams to achieve various tasks controlled first by those on the ground and then by those is space laboratories orbiting the Earth, then on the Moon, then Mars and beyond. Robonauts will assist astronauts with tasks.

Robotics in space will grow exponentially paired up with future computers including cloud computing and even more advanced software and hardware interfaces. Cyborg technology already exists with robotic arms, legs, eyes and other body parts.

This will also continue. Due to advances in future medical technology cyborgs will be more commonplace as will "super-humans" with more strength, endurance, lifespan and resistance to disease plus quick reparations from other physical and mental traumas. The rigors of space travel will be largely counterbalanced by this future medical technology.

Future scientists will make inventive strides in the areas of energy and fuel. At first hydrogen, solar and gravitation energy will be used as they are now to propel vehicles into space and maintain orbit.

In the not too distant future nuclear fusion will be used on some spacecraft for propulsion. Space magnetism will also be used to facilitate propulsion of some spacecraft. At let us not forget the recently discovered Trinitramid molecule that will also come into its own as rocket fuel.

Lasers will not only be used for telecommunications but also for weaponry and to send energy from one location to another.

For instance, future space technology dictates that vessels be sent closer to the sun the gather energy and then beam this energy around the solar system as needed via laser beams. This technology has also been talked about in the nearer future at shorter distances to beam energy back to Earth as a source of renewable and sustainable solar energy.

Colonization of the Moon and Mars will not only be a boon for space tourism companies but for Big Business on Earth as well. Space infrastructure will need to be setup in order to move supplies into space. Space cargo ships, energy stations and production facilities will be a boon to businesses on Earth.

On the downside, in the near future, Big Business will increasingly use space to skirt the rules, regulations and laws of different countries on Earth. This will be resolved with a patchwork of agreements and alliances between the U. S. Russia, China, Japan, India and other future players in the space marketplace.

Moon cams, Mars cams and asteroid cams will not only be deployed by scientists and the military but by Big Business as well. Joint agreements among all three will be struck along with privacy and security issues addressed.

As general businesses and people move into space there will naturally be deaths. A whole industry will evolve concerning Moon burials, body launches into space and even dead bodies burning during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere (this sounds a little jaded but it won't sound that way in the years to come).

And where there is business in space there will also be the military in space. Forget the Star Wars Program as this is old school. Future space technology will help the military enforce arbitrary boundaries beyond LEO along with loose agreements with countries as is the norm today.

As different nations work both as a team to get into space, the same nations will also work independently to dominate and control space territories, raw materials and supplies. Space currency will evolve and be tied into currency based on Earth.

Just as lasers and nuclear fusion will be used for communications, transfer of energy and propulsion it will also be used for military purposes. Star Trek and Star Wars once seen as silly science fiction will have served as a template for future warfare.

Plasma cannons and other directed energy weapons plus energy defense shields will be used by military spacecraft to engage with each other and engage with geographic sites on Earth. But, unlike dropping a nuclear bomb, the space weapons will be more precise and hopefully more deterrent than punitive in nature.

While future space technology advances at lightning speed mankind will still be bogged down by immature societal issues. Bullying among nations and overly aggressive competition will not have ceased unless there is an extraterrestrial common enemy to combat, then cooperation will be at an all-time high.

These are simple prognostications based upon current and emerging technologies in the space industry. I've purposely left out discussion of avatars and teleportation as while it is possible that these may some day come to fruition, there still needs to be more disruptive technology before one can see a clear path to these inventions in the future.