The Principles Of Science In “Spaceman” By Mike Massimino
Science can be conceived as the vast amalgamation of physical phenomena we are subjected to everyday. Its study, therefore, relies on our ability to successfully understand what is happening around us, from the often underestimated process of respiration that we undergo in almost automatic mode, to the counterclockwise orbit of the eight planets of our Solar System around the Sun. These phenomena, and countless of others, are explained on the University of California Museum of Paleontology’s “Understanding Science: An overview” website, which in essence, states that science is “evidence gathered from the natural world”. The said narration also deals with some very interesting ideas about what happens within science, four of which I can relate to a scientist’s experience with their field of study, especially now with the themes contained in my current reading of “Spaceman” by Mike Massimino.
The first one is the notion that “science satisfies natural curiosity”, especially during the early stages of our life when we ask ourselves countless of questions about the world. With science, we do not need to argue supernatural explanations to obtain explanations because we can experience through our different senses all kinds of phenomena, as what happened to Massimino when he witnessed the Apollo landing on the moon when he was 7 years old. From that point on, he became extremely devoted to the study of space exploration “in the way that only a young boy can” until he eventually overcame almost impossible challenges and became an astronaut because of that passion he possessed.
On the other hand, I agree that “science leads to technological advances”, which is very ascertainable as we now enjoy many forms of technology only achieved through the principles of science, as Massimino’s robotic arm, built through engineering and neuroscience, facilitated some of the tasks to be performed in space.
Additionally, it is possible to support the claim that “scientists are everywhere, unraveling the secrets of the universe” because Massimino was literally out of the Earth, out in the universe exploring and discovering the secrets of science. Then, Massimino’s greatly reinforces the idea that “science is a community endeavor” by his tales of how he was helped and supported by individuals during his academic formation and later how he became part of “NASA’s family”.
Therefore, though every scientist possesses a different personal experience depending on their field of study, we can definitely apply these and other principles to science in general as I have done with the example of Mike Massimino’s life as a scientist.
