When I was young, my room was decorated with old explorer's navigational map wallpaper. I used to sit and pretend that I was an explorer, with my room as my ship. Twent five years on - the dream is now reality and my ship is my company - Delta R&D, Inc. . The company is a totally new concept that embodies objective philosophy in a vessel (ship) - through which the universe can be explored. In the form of a corporation, it takes on the role and goal of exploration. Like the explorers of old, the journey is far from certain and unique. Inspired by the age of exploration, Delta R&D, Inc., is the ship in which the world, new ideas, and the universe will be explored and charted.

To gain a better understanding of just what Delta R&D, Inc. is we need to gain an understanding of the history of exploration. From the 1500s, beginning with Columbus on - an new chapter in history was being written - the beginning of what can be called the age of exploration. The period between 1500 and 1800 can be rightly called (from the perspective of the modern world) the age of discovery. It was during this period that individuals from the cultures that make up Europe, set out to map the world. It began with Christopher Columbus, an Italian who sailed for Spain, who bumped in to the "new world" in 1492. Although, it may be argued that their were "explorers" before him, it is what resulted from his "voyage of discovery" - the age of discovery - that makes him different. while other cultures sailed it was primarily for practical purposes. The reason is that science did not exist as it did coming out of the 1600s in these ancient societies. In the ancient world, experimentation - exploration - is soley to support philosophy. Where after the 1600s experimentation - exploration, began to drive philosophy (theory) and it is this that makes the period of 1500 to 1800 the age of discovery.

While Columbus began the age of discovery it was those who circumnavigated the globe, who began the interests in exploration of the world and the various part like Africa and Asia. The first of these people was Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who began is work in 1519 (27 years after Columbus). However, the latin powers where cresting at this time and would eventual yield to the developing power of Britian, whose entrance onto the stage of exploration and foster the British sense of adventure, began with Francis Drake. The dawning of the British empire, emerged in the age of discovery, with Francis Drake (1577) - who was the second to circumnavigate the global. It developed under Henrey Hudson (1609) and ended with James Cook in 1768. It ended, because the age of discover evolved into age of exploration (most notable of which are the voyages of Darwin), with England becoming the primier power.

As much as, the age of discovery was about the explorer, it was due to how the explorer got to where he was (his ship and equipment) that allowed for these discoveries. It is also notable that few in society believed or understood why the explorer was doing what he was doing - not even when he succeeded. History is never taught from the perspective of the explorer, it is taught from the perspective of society - judging from afar the deeds and actions of their "heros". History does not record, how the explorer got or built his equipment, which are often ignored or treated a superfluous to the deed. As for Delta R&D, Inc. - just as the explorer took standard ships used for trade (business) and transformed them for exploration - this vessel takes the standard form of business (the incorporation) and expands it for exploration. Successful development of the vessel, required an understand of the age of discovery and how it relates the age of exploration.

The age of exploration differentiates itself from the age of discovery in that its scope and focus was much more diverse and typically english. It was the english, who changed how scientist (newly emerging) viewed his world. Typically, on the continent of Europe - philosophy (theory) drove experiment and had become primarily abstract. Where, the British became the founders (praticioners) of a new type of philosophy call empirical philosophy - a philosophy based in experience not in abstact thought. It was for this reason that exploration was more important to the British, than to the other cultures. Not surprisingly, it was from here that Darwin fostered the exploration on of the geographical world, but of the natural world.

This exploration of the natural world, began in the 1800s and has yet to end, but has gone through many evolutions as experience forced knowledge (theory) to change. Although a variety of sciences were explored, the primary explorations (in the period of the 1800s) were of the natural world. This was, in many ways the foundations of scientific exploration. Plants and animals were the easiest to study, much more within the reach on common scientific thought of the time. The problem, empirical thought, although better than abstract thought, only allowed for what could be experienced and the rest assumed as logical (or deductive). It did not allow for scientific reality beyond the human experience - which other sciences like atomic physics, oceanography, geophysical science (volcanoes and earthquakes). However, by the 1900s, the seed were sown to take science beyond the human experience with the work of people like Maxwell Plank and Albert Einstien. The effects of their work would not begin to surface until around 1950, when the age of exploration evolved into various types of exploration, like oceanography, geology, atomic science and space. It was around 1950 that the ground work for space exploration (the period were are in currently) began. Space exploration literally leaped from the pages of science fiction, and like the early explorers, the risk was a great and reality as far - yet a few worked and laid the foundation for the work begin done today.

Most don't know, that while many worked to bring NASA and the Russian Space program into reality, it was actual built on the dreams of two men - Warner Van Braun and Serge Korolov. The rest who follow are just like these two (and their counterparts in the age of discovery and exploration), willing to risk their lives and livelihood for a dream. While, the age of exploration (to society), was seemingly coming to an end. These folks who laid the foundations for Mir, the International Space station - developed the science and the rockets (vessels) that would take us into space, to the moon and beyond. During this time, the beginings of space exploration had a residual effect, providing tools that allowed the advancement of the other sciences. This includes the development of the geophysical concept of plate techtonics. As well, just as exploration to the "new world" changed the civilization, this first step into the exploration of space changed civilization. However, something curious happend - a look back. Explorers (scientist) began to take a new look at the world and found new things.

In in the new age of exploration (space exploration), actually became planetary exploration with Earth as one of the planets. The tools used to explore other planets (remote viewing satellites), began to be used to explore the Earth. It opened whole new avenues of exploration, many of which remain unexplored today. However, there are still explorers pushing beyond - to Mars. Today - on the internet - the groups dedicated to the exploration of Mars has been steadily growing. It is in this vein - the vein of explorers, that I built Delta R&D, Inc. - my ship.