A Brief History of Time
My interest in science has deep roots within my personality, as long as I can remember I've been interested in figuring out how the universe works, what makes things happen, and I've always kindled a particular flame of curiosity for space related science. For awhile, I wanted to become an astrophysicist and one day invent an operational warp drive to propel the world (or rather, propel space) into the future of inter-planetary/stellar/galactic travel. But my fascination with science all began a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Yes, when I was a boy my dream job was Jedi Knight and Anakin Skywalker was my hero. I've since come to resent the Star Wars prequels for the cinematic sludge they are, but they still hold a special place in my heart for piquing my interest in space, and subsequently, all sciences. After realizing that space and the Universe is the most astonishing wonder of life, I began to try and expand my knowledge of the extra-terrestrial by delving further into science fiction. When the crew of the Enterprise set off on their adventures, boldly going where no one had gone before, I couldn't help but feel like a part of the Federation at the side of Captain James T. Kirk, and later on, Captain Jean Luc Picard. These fictional journeys expanded my imagination and showed me possibilities of what could be out there, beyond the stars.
However sadly astrophysics is not on the curricular schedule of a 3rd grader, and thus my elementary science classes failed to answer all of my questions about the Universe. The person who could answer them though was my father who, like me, shared such a passion for space that he even pursued a degree in astrophysics in college (unfortunately fell short by a credit of advanced calculus, or as he would say "the wrath of Tan"). He, my brother, and myself would spend hours discussing physical concepts as they pertained to the Universe, he would blow my mind with his explanations of starlight and the vast distances of the void of space. It was he who fueled the fire of my knowledge about space. After years of discussions with my father, I realized that it was time to expand my quest for knowledge to include such resources as the Internet and my Eighth grade IPC teacher, Mr. Gregg.
Mr. Gregg and I would have after school discussions about orbital mechanics and Newtonian physics on the planetary level. Once he briefly mentioned that escape velocity could be calculated using the earth's circumference, and gravity. After he said this I became obsessed with figuring out the escape velocity of the planet, I wanted to know how fast a person would need to go in order to sail among the stars. As a puny eighth grader I sat in the halls of my school after class and with my trusty TI-84 Silver edition and I calculated escape velocity on my own. The number I came to was 24,864 mph, and when I excitedly showed Mr. Gregg he chuckled and put the actual escape velocity on the board, 25,200 mph. I couldn't help but laugh. Me, a tiny eighth grader in my post-ironic band t-shirts and glasses calculated escape velocity to 98.6% accuracy. Needless to say, I was stunned, and with a new vigor I thirsted for more knowledge as I entered the realm of High School.
Today after four years of a secondary education, I can happily say that my journey to know more about space, technology, and all aspects of scientific discovery is nowhere near complete. Instructional tools such as my science courses, and educational Youtube videos have spurred me to hunger for more and more knowledge. Books like Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" have altered my perspectives on even rudimentary physical concepts, and have stupefied my views on relativity and quantum theory. Neil Degrasse Tyson has showed me the importance of education and expansion of our knowledge of the Universe. So, because of all the encouragement and knowledge I've received from my heroes, teachers, and family, my quest continues. Every day scientists and physicists make groundbreaking discoveries that push the world further into understanding our vast Universe. Humanity, so often bogged down by struggle and conflict is uplifted by our knowledge of what surrounds us in space and time. Even when humans are gone, when the sun's core fuses into iron and collapses into a white dwarf after consuming all of the inner planets, mankind will endure through the legacies we build among the stars.
When ancient humans looked up to the heavens they gaped in awe of the billions of points of light above them, and were stunned by the untouchable beauty. Now it is time for we to do what they could not. Its time for humanity to take the next step in the trail to the future. To touch the stars and planets that our ancestors could only worship.
Armed with the knowledge of my past, it is that goal which I set for my future.
Now that is a powerful story, Avery. Pretty incredible. I laughed out loud at the "wrath of Tan," and read the rest of this story and its profound ramifications as an educator realizing that there is much more that I could have done to provide avenues through which you could pursue the passion that you have for learning about the universe. I look forward to hearing where this exciting past propels you next year, and in coming years, good luck!
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