Explorations of the Universe

1. Explorations of the Universe Traveler’s Tales

2. Comparisons to Early Sail Voyages • 15th century: Spain to the Azores = the travel time now from the Earth to the Moon • Traverse Atlantic = time it now takes to cross the inner Solar System. • 17th and 18th centuries: to reach China = time to send a spacecraft to Jupiter • In comparison to resources, it cost more to send sailing ships around the world than to send spacecraft to the planets.

3. The "Passion to explore" • Ancient Phoenecians; the voyage around Africa may or may not have taken place, but they did reach Britain and colonize the western Mediterranean. • Renaissance Europe • Ming Dynasty China • Polynesia

4. Possible Other Examples • Early Irish Missionaries • Medieval Arab seafarers and land travelers (Al-Idrisi, Ibn-Battuta) • The Mongols of the 13th century • The Vikings

5. Counter-Examples • The Romans had a mind-numbing lack of interest in geography. They never went into the Baltic, or explored Ireland, or penetrated Eastern Europe. • Black Africans never discovered the Cape Verde Islands or Madagascar.

6. More Counter-Examples • The voyages of Ming China stand out precisely because China, throughout most of its history, has been strongly isolationist, with very little interest in exploration. • The many cultures of India produced very few explorers.

7. Why Explore? • Cultures strapped for resources or fearful of change may migrate, but don't explore just to see what is there. • Cultures convinced of their own superiority or self-sufficiency (Rome, China) feel little need to explore.

8. Exploring for Prestige • The voyages of Ming China were an expression of its self-confidence and superiority; they were undertaken precisely to show other societies the greatness of China. • A good parallel: the round-the-world voyage of the U.S. Navy's "Great White Fleet" about 1900.

9. Exploring for Curiosity is Rare • Europe's exploratory burst was driven in part by a desire to cut out the middlemen in foreign trade, but also driven in part by sheer curiosity. • Others: • possibly the Vikings • some Mongol expeditions • some Arab travelers • possibly some Polynesians

10. Why is This Important? • A common criticism of education is it “stifles curiosity” • Are people really curious? • Would we have gone into space without military pressures? • If Vietnam hadn’t provided a motive, would we have dismantled Apollo anyway just to buy more consumer goods?

11. The 17th Century Dutch Republic • A single human lifetime encompasses the events of Episode 3, Harmony of the Worlds and the Holland portrayed in this episode • What a difference in outlook! • Sagan uses the old Amsterdam Town Hall as a symbol of the new world-view. • Dispelled the "Gothic squint and squalor of the Middle Ages

12. Does exploration equal openness? • Holland most open society of the time • England and France next • Spain, Portugal, and Russia ( pushing across Asia to the Pacific) were active exploring powers but positively repressive. • Spain's glory days as an exploring power were far behind by this time.

13. Exploration and Openness • Democracy, tolerance and moderation can encourage exploration, but it's not a simple equation. • Exploration doesn't necessarily make a society open and tolerant. • Travel broadens some people but narrows others, convincing them of their own inherent superiority. • Some highly democratic societies like Norway or Switzerland did not explore at all.

14. The Discoveries of Christian Huygens • First person to see a surface feature on Mars • First person to understand Saturn's ring • First person to understand that Venus is covered with clouds • Discoverer of Titan, Saturn's largest satellite. • Inventor of pendulum clock. • Builder of numerous planetarium models.

15. Why the Long-tube Telescopes?