Exploration
Columbus. Zheng He. Magellan. Sir Francis Drake. Vasco de Gama. These people all have something in common. They were all renowned explorers of their time. Some travelled around the entire world. Some travelled to new lands, discovered new people, new species of animals and plants. It was truly a time of exploration, and no one was up for the challenge except for these brave souls.
One of the most important times in history involves ice, snow, ridiculously low temperatures, and the desire to win. No, I'm not talking about Operation Barbarossa where the Nazis invaded Soviet Russia. What I'm talking about involves the white spots on our globe. The race to the poles. Arguably one of the most important exploration trips in history, and yet almost no one knows about it. It was towards the end of the 19th century, and there was immense competition in exploring the North and South poles. There were many lives lost during these times, but it was the last piece of land yet to be discovered by humans. Imagine the stakes back then if you won. Your name would be remembered throughout history. Once again, no one seems to know what "Franklin's Lost Expedition" is. At the time, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, and Russia all set out to perform new scientific tasks for the Arctic Ocean and all it encompasses. |
Franklin's Lost Expedition
No one likes to be lost, especially when your stranded in the freezing arctic tundra. Franklin's expedition was a British voyage led by Captain Sir John Franklin. It departed England in 1845, and was comprised of two ships: the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. Franklin, who was a Royal Navy officer and an experienced explorer, had served on three Arctic expeditions prior. The fourth and last of his expeditions was undertaken when he was 59 years of age. Like many other arctic expeditions, it was meant to traverse uncharted territory, and Franklin's fleet was meant to explore the Northwest Passage. A couple fatalities came early, but then the two ships became icebound in the Victoria Strait near King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. Franklin and his 128 man crew was never to be seen again.
|
Today and the Future
Ships today are some of the most advanced forms of transportation. A perfect example of this is a cruise ship. On average, they weigh 220,000 tons. How on earth does it float on water? It's truly remarkable how far we've come in terms of ship making. It started off with people tying wood together with string and making a raft out of it. Now we have a hotel and a mall floating on water. Impressiveness doesn't just lie on top of the water, however. Below the surface, submarines collect data from animals and plants alike. Ships don't have to reside on the oceans, however. Around 50 miles above Venus' surface, the pressure is around one Earth atmosphere. The temperature is around 150 degrees, and I could totally see future humans living on floating ships on Venus. It's a long-shot, but it's certainly something that could happen. Speaking of not on Earth, NASA just found an enormous ocean under one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus. In the not-so-near future, humans could be living on ships on the water, granted the atmosphere is suitable for humans.
|