Who cares if the first human on another planet might be a Chinese? An American was first on the moon, so what? The US space program has been plagued with costly, high tech overkill for years. The space shuttle is a prime example. Russian non-manned rockets can supply the space station without extravagant wastes of energy necessary for the human component of the shuttle. How many additional problems have been caused by their insistence of liquid hydrogen as a fuel and all the leaks and hassles it entails. When the shuttle can't deliver, we buy time from the Russians. Who really is affected by how many planets are out there than may have some similar characteristics to earth? We can't even decide how many planets are around our own sun! All this expense might have seemed invisible in good times, but is unnecessary now. And I'm into ecology. As I remember from years ago, when the shuttle is taking off, it is consuming energy at a faster rate than the entire state of New York was. And you want me to do my part by switching lightbulbs?

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clysmaniac (imported) wrote: Sat Feb 05, 2011 4:35 pm An American was first on the moon, so what? ...

All of the computer and electronic advances were made public as a result of the space program. The USA led the world for two, nearly decades in the miniaturization and programming of computers and software.

In fact, this internet thing you use came out of the military applications of space travel.

Some of the most frequently asked questions about the U.S. space program are "Why go into space when we have so many problems here on Earth?" and "What does the space program do for me?" These are legitimate questions and unfortunately not enough people have been made aware of the vast benefits the space program provides that increase the quality of our daily lives. Applications on Earth of technology needed for space flight have produced thousands of "spinoffs" that contribute to improving national security, the economy, productivity and lifestyle. It is almost impossible to find an area of everyday life that has not been improved by these spinoffs. Collectively, these secondary applications represent a substantial return on the national investment in aerospace research. We should be spending more.

Out of a $2.4 trillion budget, less than 0.8% is spent on the entire space program! That's less than 1 penny for every dollar spent. The average American spends more of their budget on their cable bill, eating out or entertainment than this yet the benefits of space flight are remarkable. It has been conservatively estimated by U.S. space experts that for every dollar the U.S. spends on R and D in the space program, it receives $7 back in the form of corporate and personal income taxes from increased jobs and economic growth. Besides the obvious jobs created in the aerospace industry, thousands more are created by many other companies applying NASA technology in nonspace related areas that affect us daily. One cannot even begin to place a dollar value on the lives saved and improved lifestyles of the less fortunate. Space technology benefits everyone and a rising technological tide does raise all boats.

One small example is the Hubble Space Telescope. Much maligned at first because of its flawed optics, it still produced better photographs than anything here on Earth. Once fixed, it has produced even more startling scientific data which we have only begun to understand and apply. One of the many spinoffs from the Hubble telescope is the use of its Charge Coupled Device (CCD) chips for digital imaging breast biopsies (http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html#biopsy). The resulting device images breast tissue more clearly and efficiently than other existing technologies. The CCD chips are so advanced that they can detect the minute differences between a malignant or benign tumor without the need for a surgical biopsy. This saves the patient weeks of recovery time and the cost for this procedure is hundreds of dollars vs. thousands for a surgical biopsy. With over 500,000 women needing biopsies a year the economic benefit, per year, is tremendous and it greatly reduces the pain, scarring, radiation exposure, time, and money associated with surgical biopsies.

Below is a "small" sampling of the many other ways that space technology has improved our lives and benefited mankind. It is truly a remarkable list and not nearly complete but I believe you will begin to appreciate the answers to "Why do we go in space" and "What does the space program do for me?" So the next time you hear these questions being asked, you will be able to explain it.

A link (http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html) to pages and pages of what we've gained from space exploration.

Slammr (imported) wrote: Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:56 pm A link (http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html) to pages and pages of what we've gained from space exploration.

Does it include ICBMs

The real reason for the 'space race'.

My father's last aerospace project was communications for the Viking Lander on Mars. If I remember the story correctly the early images were fuzzy. Magnetic disturbances. So a Gauss filter was developed as cleared up the images and led to the development of MRI imaging.

Moi

It is too much dumbing down I find objectionable

Moi If you knew anything at all about rocketry as we know it today is the hardware was first developed by Dr. Robert Goddard to explore the atmosphere. His ideas were then taken by Dr. Von Braun and were progressing towards exploration until the Nazi's hijacked his group and technology to make the first IRBM. Which then was taken by the U.S. to develop research rockets and Russia to develop the first ICBM. We lagged behind the Russians until a crash program made Atlas the very flexible launch platform still used to this day, Titan was a follow on and also used still. The Saturn's were never adapeted military rockets except for one the Saturn 1B which was basicly 6 Redstones clustered together to prove several Aerodynamic features of the Saturn 5. The shuttle was at first an all civil vehicle until funding was cut buy Carter who forced NASA to use Air Force specs and money to make the clunky shuttle we have to carry deep black spy gear that could not for security be launched on a rocket but hidden inside a closed bay.

Oh yeah fyi my Dads signature is on one of the rovers on the moon. Rexnord Worcester was contracted by Goodyear to make the wheels and mesh titanium wire tires and assemble them. Michelin provided golf cart tires for earth testing as the lightweight metal tires and wheels could not hold the weight of the Rover on earth.

moi621 (imported) wrote: Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:37 pm Does it include ICBMs

The real reason for the 'space race'.

My father's last aerospace project was communications for the Viking Lander on Mars. If I remember the story correctly the early images were fuzzy. Magnetic disturbances. So a Gauss filter was developed as cleared up the images and led to the development of MRI imaging.

Moi

It is too much dumbing down I find objectionable

You, moi, have bought the way that they got the Congress to "GO" for the funding. The REAL reason for doing science is NEVER weaponry. Weaponry is ALWAYS just the excuse...

Thus, money is never the reason to do science, it is just the excuse...

If you keep this up, I will have you EXPELLED from the Science GEEKS fraternity...

moi621 (imported) wrote: Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:37 pm Does it include ICBMs

The real reason for the 'space race'.

As far as I know, Sputnik-1 was launched using modified R-7 ICBM...

Which later became basis for Soyuz rocket. And it is still used today... Say about advances of technology. Much more modern Energia (http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/l ... ergia.html)is dead, due to Sovunion collapse and financial problems.

fhunter wrote: Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:51 am As far as I know, Sputnik-1 was launched using modified R-7 ICBM...

Which later became basis for Soyuz rocket. And it is still used today... Say about advances of technology. Much more modern Energia (http://www.energia.ru/english/energia/l ... ergia.html)is dead, due to Sovunion collapse and financial problems.

Of course science can generate money through advances. But if there is no seed money, OR, you cannot feed everybody science has to take a back seat to survival.

This is when you convince your hoarders that they can make money by investment.

Of course, and correct me if I am wrong, a LOT of resources in the former Soviet Union are tied up in the crime side of the society.

Isn't this correct?

It might seem to be useless to spend billions - yes, billions of dollars to know that there are planets somewhere out there.

We know from the past that countries that will close itself to outerworld will become retarded.

science can not be run like a business. Discoveries usually do not produce any profit possibilities.

To me it seems that for a mankind as a whole, it is important to know what's really out there. Mobile phones, computers, cars are just tools.

It is like a higher purpose for our existance.

you never know when a discovery in a row of seemingly useless discoveries could become extremely useful.

for example in GPS system better precision can be achieved only by taking into account theory of relativity.

Without the space program we would not have GPS and cell phones.

We would still be using single flags and a compass.

River