The Space Program

[Vanquisher]

I was wondering what everyones general thoughts on this were.

1. Is what we are learning by space exploration worth the cost in dollars and lives?

2. Are we merely continuing the space program in the U.S. out of nostalgia or superiority over other nations?

3. Should we privatize space exploration in the U.S.?

I am really undecided about all of these things. I used to be filled with such wonder and awe about space. Now, I wonder, if we shouldn't spend our resources on things that are more tangible.

Has anyone read Deception Point by Dan Brown. I suppose I could put that in the book review forum, but it is relevant here. In the book there is a large controversy and political debacle regarding the space program. I liked the book quite a bit. I'm unsure on which side of this I lie though. I have the wonder and indetify with Jodie Foster's character in contact, but at the same time, I wonder if the classrooms would be less crowded if funding was cut on some of these other programs.

[Rapunzel]

Yeah, I think that it's worth it. The traveling in space part is just the tip of the ice-berg. These people have had to invent tremendous technology that has applications in many other areas in order to just get things up into space (and allow human survival there). It is estimated that 1,400 NASA inventions are now used in our everyday lives. Would these things have been invented without NASA's space program? Maybe. However, the truth is that necessity is the mother of invention and NASA gets a ton of money thrown at it in order to meet its necessities. Here's a list of some of the NASA inventions from the space program:

* Kidney dialysis machines were developed as a result of a NASA developed chemical process that could remove toxic waste from used dialysis fluid.

* As a medical CAT scanner searches the human body for tumors or other abnormalities, the industrial version, or advanced computed tomography inspection system, finds imperfections in aerospace structures and components, such as castings, rocket motors and nozzles.

* A cardiovascular conditioner developed for astronauts in space led to the development of a physical therapy and athletic development machine used by football teams, sports clinics and medical rehabilitation centers.

* Freeze-dried food solved the problem of what to feed an astronaut on the long-duration Apollo missions.

* Insulation barriers made of aluminum foil laid over a core of propylene or mylar, which protected astronauts and their spacecraft's delicate instruments from radiation, is used to protect cars and trucks and dampen engine and exhaust noise.

* Water purification technology used on the Apollo spacecraft is now employed in several spinoff applications to kill bacteria, viruses and algae in community water supply systems and cooling towers. Filters mounted on faucets can reduce lead in water supplies.

* Process for bonding dry lubricant to space metals led to the development of surface enhancement coatings, which are used in applications from pizza making to laser manufacture. Each coating is designed to protect specific metal group or group of metals to solve problems encountered under operating conditions.

* Digital signal-processing techniques, originally developed to enhance pictures of the Moon for the Apollo Program, are an indispensable part of Computer-Aided Tomography (CAT) scan & Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technologies used today worldwide.

* Vacuum metallizing techniques led to an extensive line of commercial products, from insulated outer garments to packaging for foods & from reflective blankets to photographic reflectors.

* Cordless power tools & appliances are one of the most successful commercial spin-offs of space-based technology.

* Cool suits, which kept Apollo astronauts comfortable during moon walks, are today worn by race car drivers, hazardous area workers, & people with specific health problems.

* A hollow retroreflector, a mirror-like instrument that reflects light & other radiation back to the source, is used as a sensor to detect the presence of hazardous gases in oil development, chemical plants, waste storage sites & locations where gases could be released into the environment.

taken from the following website: http://space.about.com/od/toolsequipmen ... inoffs.htm

There's actually a book on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 7?v=glance entitled Scientific American: Inventions from Outer Space : Everyday Uses for NASA Technology (Hardcover)

Here's another cool article on the medical applications (diabetes and alzheimer's) of NASA research: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/everyd ... _eyes.html

NASA technology has also helped in kidnapping cases: http://space.about.com/cs/nasanews/a/abduction.htm


So, as you can see NASA has done so much more than get a man on the moon or taken pretty pictures of nebulae. It's more of a huge scientific research machine and it's innovations for one thing (the space program) bleed into hundreds of unbelievably amazing uses in our life right now. I honestly believe that if we are going to have any progress in the area of getting off oil dependency in our nation it will come through some new technology gleaned off of NASA research.

So, the answers are:

1) Yes

2) No

3) Why not? It will lead to more innovations out of necessity and these new inventions will inevitably lead to technological advances in our everyday lives. Plus it would be fun to take a vacation on the moon someday.

Jennifer

[SueC]

This will show my ignorance here (as if you guys didn't already know ), but I'd like to see a breakdown regarding how much of our tax dollars go to the space program, versus defense, education, etc. etc. I think it is valuable for the reasons Rapunzel mentioned, but I'd hate to see an excessive amount of money going to the space program that could be used better for other things, like finding alternative sources for fuel so that we don't rely so much on the middle east.

[Vanquisher]

Well I wasn't debating that NASA hasn't done a lot for innovatoin and technological advancement. I'm just wondering if it has run it's course. I'm not saying that it has, but I think it needs to be examined further.

So far this Fiscal Year, the U. S. Government spent $300 Billion of your money on interest payments* to the holders of the National Debt. Compare that to NASA at $15 Billion, Education at $61 Billion, and Department of Transportation at $56 Billion.

*see http://www.federalbudget.com/

Obviously the interest is a big problem with our trillions of dollars in debt. I also think that the defense budget is out of control (over 450 billion). I've already pretty much expressed my opinion about that. However, when I look at the NASA budget and the education budget, I have to wonder, what are our priorities? There are a lot more children than astronauts.

I'm not saying that NASA hasn't done good things, and I am in awe of what they have accomplished. It seems that recently, though, there have been more overrun budgets, disasters, and the like. I think maybe our federal government needs to conceed some of the control of this program.

I hope our astronauts come home safely.

[Rapunzel]

NASA's budget is a quarter of the education budget. For a program that continues to come up with technology that improves our everday lives I think that's a bit low, personally. Something to remember with the federal government giving money for education to the states: With government funds comes government oversight (ie regulation) including the No Child Left Behind directives. Nothing is free. I think it would be better to cut federal taxes back in order to get rid of the federal education budget and allow the states to raise their taxes accordingly in order to significantly increase their state education budgets.

Monetarily speaking, the federal government is really only responsible for spending money on things such as defense. Most of the things we look to the federal government to "pay for" (such as education) are the responsibility of the states according to the Constitution. That may be why our federal income taxes have dramatically ballooned to between 20 and 35 percent of our incomes! That's a huge increase over the last century that reflects the increasing overstepping of constitutional bounds by the federal government.

NASA's current problems are due to the inherent waste associated with a government beauracracy. These wastes can be found in extraordinary amounts in every federal agency - every one of them. Government can become a hugely bloated, ineffective monster without constant trimming. I see no problem in light of this reality of doing away with funding for NASA, the federal education department, things such as the EPA, as well as the multitude of useless and ineffective social "welfare" programs funded by the federal government.

(BTW I read an interesting statistic the other day that 1 in 13 Americans work for the government in some manner! Talk about a bloated government!

Jennifer

[Rapunzel]

I definitely believe that privatization of space research will lead to even greater innovation via competition. Most of the major technological breakthroughs in the US have come through private sources - not government agencies after all (I'm thinking of the Wright Bros., Bell, Edison among many others).

Forgot to add that.

Jennifer