At the Edges: Vulnerability, Prediction, and Resilience

In space, pioneers risk their lives to push the boundaries of what we know and how we understand our place in the Universe. Humans aren’t actually made for space. The Universe is a hostile place; it is almost as though space is literally trying to kill these pioneers at every turn. Further, the supply chain problems are immense. Getting the right tool or solution at the right time can be critical to survival. Currently, astronauts depend on an estimate/prediction of what they’ll need. They do this through tremendous amounts of training, preparation, and redundancy. In order to get these supplies, the support team on Earth packs them into an extremely tiny nose cone on top of what is essentially a massive explosive. Some rockets don’t make it. Meanwhile a never before seen, or experienced, life-threatening event could be occurring up above, and the astronauts don’t have the actual item they need. Time is not on their side. Think Apollo 13. One false move, one bad day, and one leaking gasket can lead to disaster.