SIZING UP THE UNIVERSE

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SUMMARY:

The primary goal of this assignment was to develop an understanding of how vast the solar system truly is. We did so by utilizing the real distances between the planets in the solar systems (as measured by reliable sources such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and scaled the solar system down as a whole using mathematical calculations involving ratios and the sun as a beach ball with a diameter of 28 inches for reference. ​

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REFLECTION:

Learning:

I truly enjoyed taking a veer off from our typical class activities to learn a lot more about how grand the universe truly is. Since it still is expanding, and as an individual who aspires to play a role in the exploration of the universe through the development of spacecraft, the primary learning I acquired over the course of this assignment was that I need to pick up the pace in order to overcome the rate at which the universe in expanding. Time waits for nobody, so expanding my interest in aerospace engineering outside of class more than I already do is a must.

Improvements:

In regards to improvements, I didn't really struggle with any steps of the process - gathering information, mathematical calculations, and documentation - thanks to my extensive practice and standards for excellence. However, if there has to be one area of improvement that I can seek to develop, it definitely involves my time commitment on this assignment. I took much longer than necessary on this assignment just because I was interested as to what the distance between the celestial bodies in our solar system is compared to that of other bodies we have discovered in other galaxies, such as Andromeda. Perhaps being able to identify my priorities better will make for a more efficient use of time as a whole.​

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