College Admissions Essay: My Interest In Space Science

I found myself once again facing defeat, seeking refuge behind the protection of my glass patio door. Summer evenings generally started out pleasantly on my porch, glistened with a beautiful sunset, followed by declining temperatures which provided respite from the heat. Disaster would invariably strike, however, with the inevitable onslaught of mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were unimpressed by my insistence on remaining environmentally conscious and disavowing products containing DEET. Pinpricks of swelling bumps peppered the lengths of my arms and legs, leaving me itchy, irritated, and defeated. Nevertheless, I was undaunted, and armed with science, I steeled myself for devastating counterattacks.

Stars, mankind has been staring up at them for thousands of years. Over those many years dreams and mythology have been created to explain those lights in the heavens. Mankind grew sick of just staring, and decided to find ways to discover more about it. Eventually over hundreds of years mankind has, been able to send men to the moon, launch satellites into space, and even send rovers to Mars. These feats of science would have been unimaginable hundreds of years ago, and to others that heard of it was only science fiction. With all these accomplishments, it seems humanity has a bright future of further discovery, but a recent development has surfaced regarding Space Exploration. That debate regards the future of space Exploration, and whether or not It should be continued through NASA or private companies. Various opinions have come from all over the scientific and astronomy concerned world. Others side that NASA should continue its lead into the future, because of its contributions to discovery and the scientific world. Others blame that NASA’s lack of progress in previous projects has lead to a disbelief of Nasa, and a turn to Private industries due to their smaller budgets and recent success. Even some see a balanced future of NASA working with private companies, and even healthy competition that will allow a faster progress into the future. Mankind has always had the desire to reach the unreachable, and it cannot go forward

The Space Race was a 20th century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States of America and the Soviet Union. This competition was held between 1955 until 1972 and enabled these two rivals to advance their ability of spaceflight and their exploration out of the Earth’s reach. The competition covered several ways in taking human life out of Earth’s orbit and to successfully bring them back home in the process. The Space Race brought about several controversial topics relating to how the USSR copied the methods conducted by the United States, how the United States retaliated against the USSR and the man landing was purposely staged or not. These factors contribute to a large extent on how the space race was won. The Space Race

Do you think animal testing is wrong why and why not? I think it is good because we'd all rather an animal die than have a human being that has a family. I also think it is necessary because most animals share human DNA with us so it's easier to test products and other things on them. According to History.com Laika, the dog was launched into outer space on November 3rd, 1957. This shows that we used an actual animal first instead of a human. +7

Ever since I was a young child, my parents always told me to try my best in school, they always told me this for the reason that they never had the opportunity to have a good job because they never finished school. This event is shaping me to care a lot regarding my education. In addition to that, another event that has shaped me to become the person I am today is that since my parents don’t have good paying jobs they have to work hard to take care of me and my siblings this event has caused me to become a hard working person and to seize all opportunities to live a good life because I don’t want to struggle like my parents.

Exploration is a key aspect to ensuring the constant and consistent development of the human race, but is it really necessary to branch out into the cosmos rather than focusing on the Earth itself. Expanding is essentially the ability to understand the unknowing and to grasp unworldly ideas, but without the means to reach those goals: justification, funding, and manpower, what is the point of committing funds to an unforeseen mission such as Space Exploration. Space Exploration is an issue that Humanity faces because it targets the what ifs about the future rather than focusing on the dangers of the present. Drought, famine, poverty, and war, will all continue to plague the world, and will remain tackling issues on present day Earth, and by using immense funding and manpower on what is not certain, is detrimental to humanities growth. Although, yes, NASA has created breakthroughs with innovations in relation to technological advancements, it is not certain that exploring space will ensure new innovations, because space itself is still theoretical and far too vast for ideal comprehension. Proper funding is mandatory for growth and expansion, but not important for the funding of Space exploration, rather it is more important to focus on pressing matters ranging from genocides: The Rwandan Genocide, to extreme poverty and famine: humans on Earth who do not have enough to live. If funding is granted to Space exploration by the public, it will remove essential funding to those

Sally was interested in sports, science, and math from a young age. Since she was a well educated young girl, she also had a partial scholarship. When she was about 13, she moved to a private school, which was Westlake School for Girls, because of her scholarship. There she began to love astronomy, which is the study

"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact."- Elon Musk. Space exploration is tough. The slightest problem can turn what seemed a successful mission into a disaster, making it imperative to prepare for every possible situation. As such, there is a great demand for high quality engineers in this field. I plan to be one of those engineers, and Washington Aerospace Scholars is one of the best opportunities to help me accomplish this. There is a lot I can gain from it; however, it does not come without difficulty. WAS requires dedication, strategy, and commitment to succeed. I believe I can offer these through my diligence towards STEM, time proven work ethic, and experience in similar courses.

The launch of the Challenger shuttle was highly popular and publicized event because the National Aeronautics and Space Administration had conducted a nationwide search, searching for a teacher to send on the flight. NASA wanted to show people of America and the world that space traveling can be routine like traveling through an airplane. After a long search, NASA found the teacher, Christa McAuliffe. President Reagan was conducting a search addressed to primary and secondary schools looking for an American to fly aboard the Space Shuttle, which is how Ms. McAuliffe heard NASA’s nationwide search on a car radio one evening. She was not sure if she would be able to be part of such exciting adventure when she procrastinated and submitted in her

In 1985, she was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to participate in the NASA Teacher in Space Project and was scheduled to become the first teacher in space. As a member of mission STS-51-L, she was planning to conduct experiments and teach two lessons from Space

”Life should be an exciting adventure. It should never be a bore. A man should live fully, be alive. He should be glad to get out of the bed in the morning. He should be doing a job that he likes because he does it well.”

Margot Lee Shetterly’s presentation about her book, Hidden Figures, was moving and emotionally provoking. She discussed her writing process and highlighted the achievements of the many women featured in her book. I think what struck me the most is that, until her book was published, I had no idea that there were that many women who were so involved in NASA and other aspects of the “space race”. It saddened me that I was just learning this piece of America’s history as a young adult, and especially in a time of such controversial political change, made me think.

My personal quest for knowledge has been ongoing since the first day I picked up a science book. I have never been more interested in any subject. It truly spoke to me. At a college level, there is a magnitude of opportunities. I had the opportunity to participate in the Student Dissector program on campus in the Spring of 2015, I visited the Stanford Cadaver Lab with Biology Club this semester, and I traveled to see a talk by the world renowned American astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, and science communicator, Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The one question you hear all the time as a little kid is “what do you want to be when you grow up.” Most children give the same three answers: doctor, lawyer, or astronaut. The adult who asked the question usually replies with a little chuckle underneath their breath because they know what achieving one of these prestigious jobs entail. In today’s world only the elite will ever have a chance of receiving such an astounding career opportunity. Now, looking back at the top three answers given by children, the reality of becoming a doctor or a lawyer is much more likely than receiving the job as an astronaut. Today the qualifications you must meet to be eligible for this career include: exceling in an array of required skills, passing

As my ambitions become realities it is important I remain educated to not only ensure my “t’s” are crossed and my “i’s” are dotted, but it is also important for me be able to incorporate my own ideas when possible. Without being properly educated I will not be able to establish a firm basis in which to grow. Matthew 7: 24-27 speaks on having a solid foundation in which to build your life on. As one man built his house on a rock and the other built a duplicate home upon sand. The man whose home was built upon sand was washed away in the storm, while the man whose home was built upon the rock was able to withstand the storm (“King James Version,” 2012). With the proper education I will be able to form a foundation that will be able to withstand any storm, enabling me to rebound when needed. During this process it is important that I remain honest with myself and be able to accept other people’s honest opinions about me. Without honesty personal growth cannot occur and trust cannot be established. But remaining humble is of the most importance. With humility my mind will remain open to the thoughts, opinions, and outlooks of others. This allows for further growth, understanding, and continued blessings. With the incorporation of these values and principles in my upbringing, I have become the determined and independent person I am today. However, these values and principles would not stand so strong without the motivation and support of my family and friends.