Addressing The Great Disconnect : National Aeronautics And Space Administration

Over the years Carbon Dioxide has been significantly increasing from human activity. CO2 has a concentration of about 400 ppmv (parts per million volume). Its concentration in the atmosphere was about 280 ppmv before the Industrial Revolution, now it has increased immensely to about 380 ppmv in 2006. Many have said Carbon Dioxide has been the main reason or cause of global warming; saying that if we produce too much of this greenhouse gas it can create a global climate change. Even though carbon dioxide affects the temperature of the atmosphere it also affects the acidity of water specifically in the ocean.

Whenever someone thinks of CO2, they think of global warming. They are reminded of Al Gore and his stance on global warming and they automatically think it is true. He has a lot of evidence to back up his theory about how global warming exists and that it is the reason animals are going extinct and also why the climate is changing. Well these facts are wrong and there is evidence to prove it. Global warming is not real and the Earth might even be in a cooling period. There so many reasons to blame people for the epidemic of this false global warming. CO2, a naturally produced gas absorbed by oceans and trees could not be the reason, so what could? Well, nothing can, none of man’s efforts to control the climate will

Does the high level of Carbon Dioxide (C02) possibly harm the Earth’s planetary biosphere, or has it already done so; in fact, many worldwide scientists have protested that the Earth is at its ‘tipping point’ but no efforts have been adapted to save the biosphere? A support of this controversial topic; congressional meeting and testimony, is from one of the top U.S. climate scientists, James Hansen to Former Vice President Al Gore, with an emphasis on the cause of C02. Beyond the ozone layer is atmospherically holey, Earth’s temperature is rising, and the climate changing conversely, one that people trivialized the most is: Global warming. Increasingly, subject to concern not only via online discussion, magazine and

Climate change or colloquially known as global warming, now pose a new threat to civilization as the levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) are soaring to new levels. The most significant contributor to greenhouse gasses would be Carbon Dioxide (Co2). The levels of Carbon Dioxide (Co2) gas have risen to levels civilization has not seen before. As such, the effects of these levels are not known to civilization as data gathered from the ice cores drilled in the Antarctica only shows data up to 650,000 years ago. However we can conclude that present CO2 concentrations are higher compared to any time in the last 650,000 years (IPCC 2007). Current carbon dioxide concentrations are hovering around 389 parts per million (ppm) as of September 2011,

In Brian Sussman’s argument against man made global warming, he says that CO2 is not as dangerous to our atmosphere as scientists say. I agree, we need CO2 to live, which is fact. However, at the rate humans are pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere it is offsetting the balance. The plants, trees, and oceans cannot keep up, and cannot absorb the amount of CO2 we releasing into the atmosphere. This disrupted balance in the environment makes the CO2 dangerous. Going back to the Vostok (Antarctica) Ice Core Record, as CO2 levels rose, so did the global temperature.

The rapidly increasing amount of carbon dioxide may be one of the factors that cause climate change. As Hillman states, “Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are increasing, and have done so since the Industrial Revolution.” An atmospheric CO2 concentration, research shows that there is a dramatic increase from 280 parts per million (ppm) in 1750 to 373 ppm in 2002, a rise of the third. Furthermore, the linear chart demonstrated the trend of annual global CO2

So not only were the levels of CO2 in our atmosphere the highest recorded in more than 800,000 years, they were also in excess of the 350 parts per million (ppm) “cautionary threshold” put forth by Dr. James Hansen and other climate scientists in 2008. In fact, CO2 measurements on Mauna Loa in the spring of 2014 exceeded the “extreme danger” Cclimate Cchange threshold of 400 ppm from which some scientists have said that recovery is not possible.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government dedicated to space research and exploration. Since its launch by then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958, the world has come to owe a great deal to NASA for its advances in human curiosity and discovery. NASA requires research and collaboration on a global level, and employs highly-skilled people from a diverse range of backgrounds, including the military, medicine, and various science and engineering fields. It has been esteemed for decades as a leading authority on space science, making breakthroughs including exploring the geology and meteorology of planets and moons, viewing star clusters and neighboring galaxies, participating in the International Space Station, and providing compelling insight on the Earth’s climate in the face of climate change. Recently, the United States federal budget plan for 2017 has been released that significantly lowers NASA’s funding, and it is very problematic. This cut in spending will halt some of the agency’s finest efforts that will benefit the world in a remarkable way. Upon understanding the great work that NASA has achieved, not only should the government not cut spending on the space agency, but increase spending as one of the smartest investments the country has made.

NASA has taken many giant leaps in spaceflight since Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon: The International Space Station was built, multiple rovers were sent to Mars, a spacecraft has landed on an asteroid, and we even have pictures of Pluto for the first time. NASA has accomplished some incredible projects that have inspired many and benefited the entire world with the research it has found. Unfortunately, it has recently encountered some setbacks that make it nearly impossible for the administration to continue in these ambitions. Due to cost, interests, and efficiency, it is time for the private sector to take control of the future of spaceflight.

Imagine you are a father of four children. Your wife passes away from cancer and your family is in desperate need for food. Your family lives in a dilapidated apartment and you work your fingers to the bone to pay the taxes. You want the money that you paid the government to be used efficiently in a way that will affect you directly, such as healthcare, food, or education, not to reach the moon. Yet the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) used about $18 billion in 2014 for their budget. NASA was created by the United States for the research and development of spacecrafts. The United States and the Soviet Union engaged in the Space Race during the Cold War with the development of technology. Achieving human spaceflight enabled them to discover and explore outer space and the rest of the universe. NASA, however, has outlived its original purpose and has cost more than its worth by misusing its time and resources.

On January 28, 1986, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the space shuttle Challenger. The launch was held in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the Kennedy Space Center. The Challenger shuttle carried seven crew members, including pilots, aerospace engineers and a citizen. Unfortunately, after it launched, the space shuttle broke apart and hit the ocean. The failure of the mission traumatized the whole nation. In fact, millions of people watched the shocking tragedy on television. This incident saddened the nation, and President Ronald Reagan appointed some persons from different areas, such as engineers, pilots, politicians and astronauts, to find the cause of this disaster. Although the investigation revealed that the main reason for the disaster was because of technical issues. In actuality, the disaster was caused by the decision to launch, which was driven by political pressures. The focus on political interest over hard science was the reason for the Challenger disaster.

Throughout America’s history, pioneers have ventured into the unknown. After the United States expanded to the Pacific Ocean, people invented machinery to travel into unknown areas. The inventions of Robert H. Goddard and others led to man’s discovery of space, (Launius 18-9). Roger D. Launius, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Chief Historian, recounts, “The combination of technological and scientific advance, the thrill of exploration, political competition with the Soviet Union, and changes in popular opinion about space flight came together in a very specific way in the 1950s to affect public policy in favor of an aggressive space program” (22). The United States had already spent $11.8 billion for space technology, but “the NSC determined that the cost of continuing the programs from 1957 to 1963 would be an additional $36 billion” so that the ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] capability would become a reality” (Launius 22). Every year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration spends billions of dollars for its programs, which is money well spent.

“Space, the final frontier (Wise, Star Trek)” The goal of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before” (Star Trek). Since the moon landing in 1968, the federal government has consistently decreased funding for space exploration, with the exception of a small increase in the 1980’s to accommodate the shuttle program. If NASA was shut down entirely the last 60 years will have been a waste. Without this program, the development of life-saving, earth-saving, and space exploration technologies would not be possible. NASA leads the world in space exploration and aeronautics engineering, helps maintain healthy

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association has emphasized that conditions regarding CO2 emissions are critical as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are increasing on a constant basis. "The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Barrow, Alaska, reached 400 parts per million (ppm) this spring, according to NOAA measurements, the first time a monthly average measurement for the greenhouse gas attained the 400 ppm mark in a remote location." (NOAA: Carbon dioxide levels reach milestone at Arctic sites) A series of human activities and the burning of fossil fuels in particular are largely responsible for the fact that even remote locations are starting to report alarming CO2 levels. CO2

In 1988, the United Nation reported that carbon dioxide levels are nearing a dangerous level of interference with the climate system so they have established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (ProQuest). Greenhouse gas concentrations such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are continuing to rise during 2014 and it is reaching historic values (International). A variety of independent datasets shows