Space Entrepreneurs

Space Entrepreneurs — page 1 — YOU CAN BE AN ENTREPRENEUR On April 8 2016 Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 launched Its first stage booster or innovative idea then turn that idea into a business that supplies those goods or services Start-ups are brand-new businesses created by entrepreneurs entrepreneurs changing the world The world is changing at a fast pace New technologies are being introduced that change the way we live and work We face many challenges including overpopulation global warming and the depletion of natural resources However we can tackle these challenges using science and technology if we think creatively solve problems and work together By exploring the possibilities that space offers many innovative entrepreneurs are doing just that To land the booster rocket so that it could be reused SpaceX had to calculate exactly where it would fall rocket came off as planned and fell toward the ocean The rocket successfully landed on a drone ship Most other rockets fall back to Earth and are destroyed Musk’s Falcon 9 was a solution to these one-time-use rockets By reusing its booster rockets the Falcon 9 saves both energy and waste It is an example of how brilliant entrepreneurs are using their skills in space science Entrepreneurs and Start-Ups An entrepreneur is someone who plans starts and runs a business that provides goods or services Entrepreneurs are people who take risks to develop new products and start new businesses They sometimes have an original 4 4

Space Entrepreneurs — page 2 — INSPIRING STORIES Early Thinkers Scientists and engineers throughout history have helped us get into space Isaac Newton 1642 1726 studied science and mathematics from a young age When he was in his early 20s he helped invent calculus Calculus is a special type of math that can help explain how planets move It was Newton who first figured out that if a cannonball was fired fast enough it would fall beyond the curve of Earth The cannonball would keep falling eventually circling the planet The work of Isaac Newton made it possible for later scientists and entrepreneurs to investigate space Entrepreneurs of the Future Elon Musk is just one of many young entrepreneurs who are joining the race to space Space-tech start-up companies are launching satellites They are bringing tourists to space Some are even planning to mine asteroids Perhaps you will one day follow in their footsteps launching your own start-up into a whole new world SpaceX hopes that its Dragon capsule will one day take astronauts to the International Space Station ISS 5 5

Space Entrepreneurs — page 3 — INTO SPACE Space exploration relies on science technology engineering and math Scientists engineers and researchers must understand how rockets work They need to know how to engineer the rocket technology to leave Earth They need mathematics to predict where the rockets will go and how they will act once in space Space science involves the skills of many researchers Until recently only governments had the workforce and money needed to get people and things into space doing the numbers In the 1950s the United States and the Soviet Union were involved in a space race Each country’s government worked hard to put the first satellite in space That was followed by the first animal and the first person Before the age of computers NASA scientists had to calculate rocket flight paths using pencils paper and slide rules A lot of math had to be done by hand Many men and women worked at NASA to check the math These mathematicians included Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson two young African-American women Their brilliant math skills helped astronaut John Glenn to become the first American to orbit Earth Their work has been recognized in the book and movie Hidden Figures At the time computer scientists such as Margaret Hamilton had to write code by hand She programmed the computers that powered the Apollo rockets The Soviet Union put the first satellite and first person into space But thanks to the work of NASA’s scientists and mathematicians the United States won the race to get the first person on the Moon 66 Margaret Hamilton helped write the navigation code for the Apollo mission When it was printed out and stacked up the code was as tall as she was

Space Entrepreneurs — page 4 — Katherine Johnson started high school at the age of 10 Mary Jackson taught math and worked as a secretary before joining NASA INSPIRING STORIES The Rocketeers The Ansari XPRIZE was created in May 1996 by the XPRIZE Foundation Its founders hoped that the competition would encourage people to come up with safe and affordable ways to travel to space The prize would be awarded to any private company that developed a reusable spacecraft It had to be capable of carrying three people to at least 62 miles 100 km above Earth And the spacecraft had to do so twice in two weeks The prize was won eight years later in 2004 by the American company Mojave Aerospace Ventures It developed the spacecraft SpaceShipOne designed by space science whiz Burt Rutan The first flight was launched on September 29 2004 flown by Mike Melvill Less than one week later Brian Binnie flew the winning flight to space Burt Rutan began designing model aircraft when he was eight years old 7 7

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