WHY exactly is astronomy and space exploration a science?

Madonna

New member
i mean space is kinda like america was before it was discovered and i understand the need 4 technology,., but cannot any person better understand what we are to do with things we can do or get 4 space!! the technology is not ALL that is going on with astronomy and space exploration is it?
 
easy. science is a study. a study of life and materials of all things and behavior. space qualifies that with extraterrestials, orbits of planets, stars, the sun, moon, and gasses of what surrounds us and gravity.
 
According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, the definition of science is "knowledge attained through study or practice," or "knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, esp. as obtained and tested through scientific method [and] concerned with the physical world."

Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. This system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain natural phenomena. The term science also refers to the organized body of knowledge people have gained using that system. Less formally, the word science often describes any systematic field of study or the knowledge gained from it.

I think both astronomy and space exploration fit that description. Humans have always been explorers, so I'm sure that is a big part of why we are exploring space.
 
astronomy is understanding the motions of the celestial bodies and to some extent, the astrophysics behind them.

So there is all kinds of science involved: physics, optics, chemistry, etc...

as for space exploration, even near space is still space.
 
This is a great question. Viewing the sky at night is mind-blowing (and mind-expanding) even without a telescope. It's humbling and hypnotizing; it can make you faint if your eyes are tuned to the spaces between and among stars and the bright lights. Not everyone sees with 3-dimensional effect when they look up at night. It is a vision for the poet and a promise for the romantic.
I'm afraid the rest is technology; do we need it? Some believe looking and traveling to the stars will enhance our experience and scientific knowledge, and hence better the human condition. It is awfully hard to deny this when you view the slide shows from the Hubble, or realize that we actually landed on the moon.(!!!!)
 
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