Me and science
I am a high school student from Croatian capital Zagreb. I've started this site as a class project. But after a while I find it cool to be a webmaster that will spread scientific word to the planet. Stay tuned and enjoy in new articles.
Hand Me a Lab Coat - I'm a Scientist
When we hear the word science, we typically think of chemistry, physics, biology, or earth science. We imagine men in white lab coats with slide rulers and thick glasses. We think of beakers, tubes, microscopes, equations, and complicated theories. So what about you and me and science? Where do we fit in? We seldom stop to think about how much we use science in every day life, but we should.
A quick look in the dictionary reveals the meaning of science to be a lot more broad and basic than we think. Simply put, science is the ascertaining of truth, knowledge, and facts, and the application thereof. Science doesn't need to occur in the lab any more than you need a professional scientist to perform it. In fact, all of use participate in science on a daily basis.
For example, the laws of gravity, friction, and motion make it clear that a ball placed on a sloping roof top will roll down and fall to the ground. Even those of us who aren't professionals know from years of observation this is true. Likewise, on a cold winter morning we may walk out to the car with a hot cup of coffee. We need to set the coffee down in order to open the door, so we apply those same laws of physics and decide not set the coffee on the sloped hood. We're scientists!
It doesn't stop there, either. We apply science when we drive the car, play ball, cook dinner, go to the gym, wash the laundry, fix the broken window, and so on. Just about everything we do in some way puts to use the truth and facts we've gleaned through years of experience. That is science. We may not get paid for it, but its value in our daily lives is priceless.
Exploration of Space
 The exploration of space uses advanced technology and the science of astronomy to research and do experiments outside of the earth's atmosphere. Both robots and humans explore space in various forms of spacecraft.
Astronomy, the observation of objects in space is pre-historic, modern astronomical and scientific understanding of space didn't occur until the 20th century. Rockets, large liquid-fueled engines allowed the scientific community to reach out of the planet's atmosphere and further their knowledge. The reasons humans explore space are varied, however, the principle rationales include scientific research, the survival of the human race and peaceful cooperation between different countries. The use of space as a strategic and military outpost has also been a primary concern. People who don't support the exploration of space reason that the cost is too high, both in human life and physical materials and capital.
During the Cold War, the explration of space was used as competition between the Soviet Union and the United States, known as the Space Race. This time frame resulted in the design and construction of some of the most advanced technologies in human history. Both countries put men and satellites into orbit and ultimately the U.S. landed missions on the moon.
 The rockets of the era were soon replaced by the U.S. Space Shuttle program and the construction of the MIR space station that allowed for the reuse of materials and vehicles for continued space travel. As the Cold War ended, the construction of the International Space Station opened up a new era for cooperation between nations.
The 1990s and early part of the 21st century saw the rise of space tourism and the advent of private sector companies capitalizing on space as a marketing tool. The country of China launched a successful manned space program. Renewed interest in safety after a second space shuttle disaster and the general future of space exploration lent more government interaction with their respective space agencies. More missions for the Moon and possibly Mars are being scheduled for the next ten years.
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The Beauty of Space
If you've looked at any pictures of Outer Space lately, chances are good you've seen at least one image drawn from the Cosmos by the Hubble space telescope, the most powerful space telescope currently in orbit. The telescope is named after Edwin Hubble, an American astronomer who was the first to demonstrate that galaxies existed outside of our own Milky Way. The telescope is named after him because this discovery had an enormous influence on the way we view our Universe.
The Hubble telescope was launched in 1990, which makes it an incredibly long-lived space mission. It's still going strong after almost 20 years. This is in part because of the way the telescope is serviced in space by astronauts when it needs fixing or for routine maintenance. So far there have been a total of 4 servicing missions, one about every three years. Thanks to that, Hubble is in fine condition, and set to continue working until its orbit brings it back to Earth in ten years or so.
Perhaps the most famous of Hubble's many fantastic images of space is the Hubble Ultra Deep Field photograph. It was taken over almost an entire year, and shows just a small region of space. The galaxies visible in that photo are estimated to be 13 billion years old. It's the longest-reaching shot ever taken using visible light instead of infrared.
Many of the other photos Hubble takes are more beautiful though, showing the strange and lovely phenomena of our Universe. The pictures of the Horsehead and Tarantula nebulas are great examples of these inspiring photos.
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