N.A.S.A Love it, or leave it

[Killswitch]

I dont think we need to spend one dollar more doing space exploration, when the money would be better spent here on our own country.....where WE LIVE!

What good is coming from spending billions of dollars going up there?

Maybe someone here can tell us exactly what they claim to spend per year doing this.

 

[modest mouse]

Killswitch do you own a cell phone?

 

[Killswitch]

Yes....but satalites can be deployed with unmanned disposable rockets that are cheaper than what they do now.

 

[RastaPope]

It's all about the human need to know. To explore, to expand. To spread. Kinda like going out drinking on a Friday night. Hey, you really shouldn't be spending the money, but you might get lucky and end up waking up next to a hottie.

It's worth it.

 

[modest mouse]

But the technology and inplementation would not have been possible without the space program.

 

[Spinaroonie]

Also the Microwave was invented by the space program, along with a large number of alloys, and other such things.

Without the space program, life on earth would be much harder.

 

[JazzManJim]

Yeah, we didn't have any real use for those pesky CAT Scans, Mammograms, Velcro, improved breathing systems for firefighters, cordless tools, scratch-resistant lenses, an implantable defibrollator, coatings to prevent metal corrosion, fire-resistant aircraft seats, the Global Positioning System, TemperFoam (used in vehicle seats, football helmets, wheelchairs, etc), The Debakey Blood Pump, the energy source that powers roughly a third of ann heart defibrollators, DirecTV, os Satellite Radio.

 

[bknight2602]

Everytime man has put a stop to scientific exploration, we step back from discoveries.

 

[RastaPope]

Sides, there's plenty of room to cut back on spending as far as foreign aid goes.

 

[Killswitch]

Well even though I said "Not one dollar more" I was talking about Space Exploration ......I see the need for a limited space program.....but I dont think we need a space station.....etc etc.....I dont go along with the Just because its there, and because we are curious mantra's.

What I do know is that the money they frivalously(IMHO) spend going out there, can be better spent here on Earth, and more specifically here in the USA.

The downside is, that at least we can to some extent track where the N.A.S.A budget is going.....I would be affraid that we couldn't track the money if it was supposedly to be spent here, doing things much needed to strengthen this country, and care for it's residents.

 

[kotori]

Plus them rockets go a hulluvalot faster than your crappy old dragster. Whatta ride!

 

[Pookie]

Developed for Space Shuttle medical research, a rotating cell-culture device simulates the microgravity of space. This allows researchers togrow cells in three dimensions. The device may one day help researchers find cures for dangerous infectious diseases and offer alternatives to patients who need organ transplant surgery.

Technology used in Space Shuttle fuel pumps led to the development of a miniaturized ventricular-assist pump by NASA and renowned heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey. The tiny pump, a mere two inches long, one inch in diameter, and weighing less than four ounces, is currently undergoing clinical trials in Europe, where it has been successfully implanted into more than 20 people.

An astronaut's body, once free of gravity's pull, experiences a
redistribution of body fluids that can lead to a decrease in the
number of red blood cells and produce a form of space anemia.
Monitoring and evaluating blood serum was required to understand these phenomena. However, existing blood-analysis technology required the use of a centrifugation technology that was not practical in space. NASA developed new technologies for the collection and real-time analysis of blood as well as other bodily fluids without the need for centrifugation.

Responding to a request from the orthopedic-appliance industry, NASA recommended that the foam insulation used to protect the Shuttle's external tank replace the heavy, fragile plaster used to produce master molds for prosthetics. The new material is light, virtually indestructible, and easy to ship and store.

Special lighting technology developed for plant-growth experiments on Space Shuttle missions is now used to treat brain tumors in children. Doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee use light-emitting diodes in a treatment called photodynamic therapy, a form of chemotherapy, to kill cancerous tumors.

Infrared sensors developed to remotely measure the temperature of distant stars and planets for the Space Shuttle program led to the development of the hand-held optical sensor thermometer. Placed inside the ear canal, the thermometer provides an accurate reading in two seconds or less.

Devices built to measure the equilibrium of Space Shuttle astronauts when they return from space are now widely used by major medical centers to diagnose and treat patients suffering head injury, stroke, chronic dizziness and disorders of the central nervous system.

NASA technology was used to create a compact laboratory instrument for hospitals and doctor offices. This device quickly analyzes blood, accomplishing in 30 seconds what once took 20 minutes with conventional equipment.

The same rocket fuel that helps launch the Space Shuttle is now being used to save lives -- by destroying land mines. A flare device, using leftover fuel donated by NASA, is placed next to the uncovered land mine and is ignited from a safe distance using a battery-triggered electric match. The explosive burns away, disabling the mine and rendering it harmless.

Just to name a few.

Pookie

 

[Killswitch]

Yeah, we didn't have any real use for those pesky CAT Scans, Mammograms, Velcro, improved breathing systems for firefighters, cordless tools, scratch-resistant lenses, an implantable defibrollator, coatings to prevent metal corrosion, fire-resistant aircraft seats, the Global Positioning System, TemperFoam (used in vehicle seats, football helmets, wheelchairs, etc), The Debakey Blood Pump, the energy source that powers roughly a third of ann heart defibrollators, DirecTV, os Satellite Radio.

Comon Jim....did we have to go to space to develop any of that....

I think not.

 

[bknight2602]

Well even though I said "Not one dollar more" I was talking about Space Exploration ......I see the need for a limited space program.....but I dont think we need a space station.....etc etc.....I dont go along with the Just because its there, and because we are curious mantra's.

What I do know is that the money they frivalously(IMHO) spend going out there, can be better spent here on Earth, and more specifically here in the USA.

The downside is, that at least we can to some extent track where the N.A.S.A budget is going.....I would be affraid that we couldn't track the money if it was supposedly to be spent here, doing things much needed to strengthen this country, and care for it's residents.

Why do you believe that we don't need a manned space station?

Just to save money?

 

[modest mouse]

Killswitch, do you live in the Western US?

 

[sexy-girl]

how far would our medical science be if we used the same philosophy for far reaching technologies as nasa's philosophy's with the space program

what would happen if bush would announce that cancer would be cured in 10 years


but i'd rather cut spending on defense and nuclear programs

i do like nasa and i wouldn't cut spending on it ... but i can understand the argument for being against it

 

[JazzManJim]

Comon Jim....did we have to go to space to develop any of that....

I think not.

YOu're wrong.

It was our going into space that forced the development of these things. Once they were developed, we found that they had commercial and private applications, too, and we applied them there.

If we hadn't gone into space we would not have developed them.

 

[JazzManJim]

but i can understand the argument for being against it

I don't.

We have reaped much more benefit from the program than the money we've spent. We've pushed our boundaries of knowledge and our inborn need to explore into the frontier - both of which are immeasurable in dollar figures.

Both of these reason make the anti-space exploration argument entirely foolish and illogical.

 

[honeylick]

Killswitch, do you live in the Western US?

no he lives on his own planet...

he is king there.

 

[Killswitch]

"President Kennedy told us the Nation that controls space will come to dominate the world. In a speech to Rice University in 1962, John F. Kennedy said the following: The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not. And it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space. We mean to lead it, for the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond; and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace.


http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/facts/HTML/FS-003-HQ.html


Nasa Budget info.....almost 15 billion dollars in 2001.

 

[Pookie]

Tracking information originally used for Space Shuttle missions now helps track vehicles here on the ground. This commercial spin-off allows vehicles to transmit a signal back to a home base. Many cities today use the software to track and reassign emergency and public works vehicles. The technology also is used by vehicle fleet operations, such as taxis, armored cars and vehicles carrying hazardous cargo.

Rescue squads have a new extrication tool to help remove accident victims from wrecked vehicles. The hand-held device requires no auxiliary power systems or cumbersome hoses and is 70 percent cheaper than previous rescue equipment. The cutter uses a miniature version of the explosive charges that separate devices on the Space Shuttle.

Image-processing technology used to analyze Space Shuttle launch videos and to study meteorological images also helps law enforcement agencies improve crime-solving videos. The technology removes defects due to image jitter, image rotation and image zoom in video sequences. The technology also may be useful for medical imaging, scientific applications and home video.

A gas leak-detection system, originally developed to monitor the
Shuttle's hydrogen propulsion system, is now being used by the Ford Motor Company in the production of a natural gas-powered car.

NASA needs to identify, track, and keep records on each of the
thousands of heat-shield tiles on the Space Shuttle. This required a labeling system that could be put on ceramic material and withstand the rigors of space travel to be readable after a flight. NASA developed high data-density, two-dimensional, machine-readable symbol technology used to mark individual tiles. This novel method of labeling products with invisible and virtually indestructible markings can be used on electronic parts, pharmaceuticals and livestock -- in fact on just about anything.

Materials from the Space Shuttle thermal protection system are used on NASCAR racing cars to protect drivers from the extreme heat generated by the engines. This same material is also used to protect firefighters.

A unique foam developed for Space Shuttle thermal insulation and
packing is now being used as thermal and acoustical insulation in
aerospace, marine and industrial products. Since it's also fire
resistant, it's being used as well for fire barriers, packaging and
other applications requiring either high-temperature or very
low-temperature insulation in critical environments. For example, use of these foam products by airframe manufacturers such as Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and Airbus provides major weight savings, while retaining good thermal and acoustical properties in the various products.

A sensitive, gas infrared camera, used by NASA observers to monitor the blazing plumes from the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters is also capable of scanning for fires. Firefighters use this hand-held camera to pinpoint the hotspots of wildfires that rage out of control.

There are more if you like?

Pookie

 

[The Heretic]

Killswitch do you own a cell phone?

Are you trying to say that cell phones aren't possible without the space program?

The common rationale in support of the government spending money on space programs is all of the technology that alledgedly would not have been developed without that effort.

The problem with that rationale is that it is something of a fallacy. There is very little technology that we now have that could not have been developed without the space program.

Let's take one that was mentioned, and that many people would think wouldn't be possible without satellites; the Global Positioning System. Ever hear of LORAN? I would dare say for about the same cost (quite probably less) we could have a GPS system using LORAN if we wanted to. There would be certain disadvantages - mostly caused by terrain, but it could be done.

Satellites do have their advantages, but you don't need a shuttle program, a solar exploration program, or a Hubble telescope to put satellites in orbit - and even if you did, you don't need the government spending money on those programs to do it. If these programs represent a benefit to business, then business could form a consortium to fulfill that function - the Japanese are doing something very close to this now.

 

[bknight2602]

NASA has the smallest budget of the major agencies in the Federal Government. Its budget has represented less than 1 percent of the total Federal budget each year since 1977.

 

[sexy-girl]

I don't.

We have reaped much more benefit from the program than the money we've spent. We've pushed our boundaries of knowledge and our inborn need to explore into the frontier - both of which are immeasurable in dollar figures.

Both of these reason make the anti-space exploration argument entirely foolish and illogical.

ok im playing a bit devils advocate here because i actually am for nasa


but the space station is a huge waste of money ... bush cut spending on it and as such its now next to useless other then being a better mir

they should of took the money for the space station and developed a better/cheaper shuttle


also nasa do waste money ... they are famous for having the $1000 screw driver ... in my opinion nasa needs to be changed perhaps a more competition minded international space agency would be better

and who's to say we wouldn't of made other technological breakthroughs if we set ourselves a goal like a cure for cancer in 10 years

 

[Killswitch]

Killswitch, do you live in the Western US?

No....I live in the Midwest.

And Im not totally against a limited budget here folks....perhaps once again I needed to include more options in my poll.....but the discussion is really where its at here anyhow.....

Im just not convinced we need to be trying to go to Mars.....building and maintaining space stations.....and I am pondering President Kennedys thoughts back in the sixties.....Nation that controls space will dominate the world?
But if its us we wont be dominant or aggressive if we do?

I think we dominate space, and it seems as if we are a pretty domineering country if you ask me.

I am all for research, technology etc etc....but at what cost?