Nearing the speed of light and visiting other planets in a matter of days, maybe hours instead of months or years. This is seen in fictional movies like Lightyear, as well as in science fiction games like Starfield. We see the characters take their ships out into space, and they reach distances at record speeds with their incredibly fast spaceships. Some may ask if something so unimaginable could be possible in real life. I say yes! The more we know, the better, and luckily we learn new things in science all of the time. As an aspiring aerospace engineer, I believe it is completely possible to turn spacecrafts into something a bit more up to par with what we believe is simply fictional. Engineers are a big part of what makes innovations like these happen in the space field. Trains hundreds of years ago are considered very slow today, but back then it was better than horse-drawn carriages! Today trains are faster than ever, so it may take time, but one day the production of a spacecraft with speeds up to 70% of the speed of light should be possible. With plans like inhabiting Mars and exploring Saturn's moons more in-depth, the future of the space community is so close to highspeed rockets and spacecrafts. Not only that, but many have theories on how we can achieve these hyperspeeds in the future. Things like warp drives, and super rocket fuels can't only be a dream. If you think about it, faster-than-light theories have a lot of potential. The Alcubierre Warp Drive achieves FTL by causing the space ahead of it to contract while the space behind it is expanding. This process is stretching the fabric of space-time in a wave. In theory, the so-called "warp bubble" allows a spacecraft to achieve speeds nearing that of light itself. the theory is known as the Alcubierre Metric. In theories of FTL travel, there are speculations on how warping space-time could affect time. Some say time dilation is probable, like in the movie "Lightyear", but the Alcubierre theory says otherwise. If we can achieve what was only speculation, in time engineers could develop their first test spacecrafts, and with more tests the more the design will be tweaked. This is just like cars, trains, and airplanes, it is not all that different. Some day soon, Faster-Than-Light travel will no longer be science fiction, but science fact.

Having my own hand in the innovation and the creation of machines and devices used to explore the universe is one of my biggest joys and one of my most important joys. Seeing the stars in the sky, reading articles about spaceships, the constellations too, of course. Recently, having seen videos and documentaries on the aging of the universe, how worlds change and transform, and all we do to go see it in all its glory. All the stories of kids being accepted to intern at NASA and learning things they couldn't before, copious amounts of movies about space, the universe's works, and hundreds of games that let you experience it all as best as possible. These things have recently not just re-lit my fire but fanned the flame. To follow my passion, becoming an excellent aerospace engineer, I need further education, so working hard is absolutely a given. Dreaming of developing rovers and rockets in the future that do not just go to research Mars, but way beyond that, and way beyond what we have been able to see ever before. Believing in a future where we can reach the moon as fast as we can reach the next country, where we know more about the universe than we ever have before. I dream of being a part of that, a noteworthy part hopefully. All of my favorite scientists believed in things some said were crazy, but they put their minds to work and proved all of them wrong. Some examples I like to use are Stephen Hawking's and Einstein's theories on black holes. I am no expert, but reading up on Hawkings' theories made me want to know more, and figure out way more. Deciding to look up to people like them Mae Jemison and Margaret Hamilton, whom NASA must have been very grateful for, will always push me to go on and be greater. When I think of my family, the people I love most, I immediately want to do what is best for them. A proper career that could assist me in helping my family out, and living my life is the ultimate goal, I want them to be happier. A College Degree can push me closer to my goal, but currently, it's so far away that all I have is passion. Necessary tools and funds are sadly quite a bit out of my reach. No matter what, I plan to figure it out. After all, "Knowledge is Power".