By: A’Breya Young

Who…What…When??

As time progresses, society has high expectations for the future of the human race, such as living on Mars or aliens ruling the world. Some future predictions are still deemed to be untrue. However, the evolution of science and the creation of innovative new products supports great technological changes that should occur in the years to come. A century ago, some doubted the possibility of traveling in the sky, but soon airplanes were later created. With that said, never let these beliefs “fly” over your head. 

Flying Cars

In this new decade, vehicles are partially autonomous, including features such as cruise control and lane and brake assistance, but flying cars have yet to hit the markets. In April of 2019, things began to look up when Telsa announced their production of the self-driving car which would be released at the end of the year. Furthermore, the future of flying cars is looking rather promising after the enthralling demonstration of the new Hyundai S-A1 was shown at the 2020 Consumer Electronic Show. Hyundai also recently broke the internet when they announced its partnership with Uber. According to Jaiwon Shin, Hyundai’s head of Urban Air Mobility Division, “We’re looking at the dawn of a completely new era that opens the skies above our cities.” Unfortunately, critics believe the public will be let down yet again with the challenges companies face constructing flying cars. When building such a complex vehicle, it must be put into perspective that it may require a high amount of maintenance and operational cost, affecting whether the Hyundai S-A1 will be safe and economical. If all goes to plan in the end, Uber stated, cars would be in the sky by 2023. 

Out of This World

According to USAToday, in 1996, a group from the National Research Council called the Space Studies Board implied NASA would have humans landing on Mars around the year 2018, making the life of The Martian close to reality. Consequently, just as most theories go, pieces of the puzzle are taken out of the prospect. The unschooled  believe “If Neil Armstrong went to the moon, don’t humans have the ability to go to Mars?” As if the Moon and Mars are DIFFERENT!  Some are still incapable to understand the amount of research and time it will take to leave the Earth’s BREATHABLE atmosphere. Let me give you a little lesson: Mars’s atmosphere is 100 times less dense than the Earth’s, covered in carbon dioxide, with no breathable air. On this Earth, every organism needs water to survive. According to NASA, Mars’s average temperature is around -81 degrees. Although there is evidence that water once existed on Mars, its atmospheric pressure and temperature leave this planet without any bodies of water. That put all the chances of survival in the hands of technology. With all the necessities humans acquire on top of fulfilling basic survival needs, there’s going to be a lot more time before humans call this planet home. 

Will It Ever Happen?

From Airpods to Google Home, technology still shocks the world. Those who lived during the 14th century wouldn’t be able to comprehend how much technology would dominate the human race. Though technology has its perks, research and practice are still crucial for the safety of humans. Hopefully, our generation will live to see such miraculous things, but until then, let’s enjoy or “ground-friendly” cars and live streams of space.