Nasa Announced The End Of The Shuttle Program

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is perhaps the most well known space agency in the world. Since its formation in 19581, it has pioneered in space science, yet is also renowned for its large budget. NASA has the highest budget of any space agency, $18.6 billion2 in 2015, the equivalent of every American paying $54 towards the agency3, meaning 0.14% of total GDP is spent on NASA3 . This money is spent on the ISS, sending astronauts, probes and satellites into space, astrophysics and planetary science research, maintaining and developing NASA’s space telescopes (the Wide Field Infrared Survey telescope searching for dark energy and exoplanets, the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope) and developing spacecraft2. Space exploration is an incredibly expensive process with one shuttle launch costing $450 million4 however NASA’s colossal budget benefits the USA greatly; the agency employs 18,000 people5 as astronauts, engineers, scientists and teachers and G. Scott Hubbard, former director of the NASA Ames Research Center estimates that every dollar spent on NASA returns $8 to the economy6.While this figure is an estimate, it demonstrates NASA’s worth and capacity for money making. NASA works on pioneering research and as its patents and licenses return to the US treasury, it

Where the World Wars and commercialization allowed aviation to develop from the Wrights’ simple aircraft, to large commercial plane, to extremely complex military aircraft. Today, reorganized to form NASA, its main goal is the advancement of space technology and the human exploration of space. Using the private companies to commercialize low-orbit travel and the development of better rocketry, NASA can focus on deep exploration. NASA believes that commercialization is not only a method to be cost effective, but help raise the number of crew aboard the ISS, provide new economic frontiers in space travel, and brings the frontier to civilians. In the near future, with the aid of space commercialization and NASA research, astronauts and spacecraft will become independent of Earth. Meaning, that astronauts and spacecraft will no longer need to reenter Earth’s orbit for resupplies, but are able to self-sustain their systems. This will enable humanity to push further into the depths of space, beyond the asteroid belt or even

Although there is disagreement on the precise date that the Space Race began, the moment that it became an important competition that was in the forefront of the minds of everyday Americans is on April 12, 1961 when Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth in Vostok 1. (citation). This event created a feeling amongst the American public that the Russians were further ahead in science and technology than the United States, as well as the fear that the Soviets could use their superior technology to be better able to attack the USA from a distance. Shortly after Gagarin’s flight, the United States launched astronaut Alan Sheppard into

As Leahy pointed in his article “Space Access: The Private Investment vs. Public Funding Debate.” on page 1,¨According to space policy consultant Jim Muncy, the $500 million Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program represents a breakthrough in NASA thinking about space operations because it really offers the private sector a chance to do what only Russia does now:¨ (Leahy pg1). A scientific report was done on what U.S public opinion thinks on paving the way for commercial space travel, and they said it was 17% very

The NASA Space Program is one of the most, if not, the most known space program that is currently active. One of the most successful projects was the “Space Race”. In this essay I will discuss what happened on the political side, the economical side, and the social/public side of this event and race to beat and get ahead of Russia and their launch of Sputnik 1.

John Foster Dulles wrote a letter discussing the launch of the Soviet Union’s launch of the first earth satellite. Sputnik I was launched on October 4, 1957 with a cost of 15 million RUB and remained in orbit of the Earth until January 4, 1958. Although it traveled about 70 million kilometers, it did nothing for the people below it. In his letter, he states that while Sputnik is of “considerable technical and scientific importance,” it does not involve any discovery. Additionally, sending humans and animals to outer space, a huge goal of both parties during the Space Race, was rather a fascination than a benefit. Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey to outer space on April 12, 1961. He became an international celebrity by completing an orbit around the Earth, but he didn’t discover a basic fact about outer space; his journey was merely a stunt. Similarly, Neil Armstrong may have walked the moon first, but it was just an incredible act with no helpful discovery

After Christa the next civilian space traveler wouldn’t be until 2001 when Dennis Tito paid $20 million US currency for

The Space Race was a 20th century competition between the former Soviet Union and United States for dominion in spaceflight capability and is still an event that generates controversy. Historians and contemporary analysts who claim the United States won the space race frequently cite “the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon” as the sole reason why the nation won. However, while this event was indeed a triumph, it was stimulated by a series of consecutive feats by the former Soviet Union. The U.S.S.R. was the victor of the space race because it successfully launched the world’s first artificial satellite, the Sputnik 1, leading directly to the launch of the first living creature into space with the Sputnik 2. Later, the U.S.S.R launched the first human into orbit inducing future endeavors like the launch of the first woman in space and the first-ever spacewalk. The U.S.S.R. then “kicked off the era of manned space stations with its Salyut series of orbital outposts” as the series fostered the development of the Mir space station. In essence, although these events were paralleled with the prompted creations and developments from the United States, the former Soviet Union’s space accomplishments paved the way for future innovations in space.

The Russians now had the power to launch missiles along with the U.S and Europe. About a month later, they launched Sputnik 2 with a dog inside named Laika(The Great Space Race).They wanted to send a dog up there because they wanted to send a living thing to space. They didn’t use a human because they felt it was too dangerous, and they were right. It was launched successfully but the air grew too hot and she died from overheating. It was kept from the people, but she became a hero appearing on postal stamps and cigarette packages. In the U.S, the Navy tried to send a rocket into space, but failed. Now Von Braun had his chance to send another rocket named Jupiter C. In 1958, Von Braun sent it up in a storm but his team did not get any signal from it and Von Braun began to despair since he thought he failed again. Then, they heard from the rocket, they now had a second satellite in orbit. Soon after this, President Eisenhower established NASA and had a project named Mercury. The goal was to put a man into space(The Great Space Race). Both countries then went looking for a person to send into space. The U.S.A. picked seven men, and they became celebrities overnight. On April 9, 1959, the seven men voted on a man named Alan Shepard to be the first man in

In 1986, the USSR launched its space station Mir in orbit. NASA proposed to construct a permanently manned orbiting space station in response. The US began building the space station Freedom, working with Canada, several European countries, and Japan as partners in the endeavor. Just as work on Freedom began, however, the Soviet Union collapsed. This presented an opportunity for the US to work with Russia in space rather than compete with them. Freedom was reengineered into the new International

The world today revolves around technology and is in an ever upward spiraling path of new advancements. This path is now at what some people call the “final frontier”, or the space age. The discoveries being made on this front are overwhelming in comparison to the technology that the world had only twenty years ago. Space exploration was once left up to the governments, as they battled to be the first country in space, but with national debts raising and the cuts made in response, space exploration is beginning to become new grounds for private business owners. Private companies are already beginning to send off rockets at a fraction of the cost that government does, but if more money was put into the government space program, then they

3. In 2012, SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket carrying 1000 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station, making history as the first private company to send a spacecraft

We have dreamt of spaceflight since ancient times. Humans have developed and thought of many ways to acquire this immense feat and it wasn’t till the 20th century mankind were able to build rockets powerful enough to overcome the force of gravity. Since then, we’ve successfully sent mankind to the moon, rovers to mars and space probes deep into the reaches of our solar system. Nations have striven to advance and attain great heights in the field of space exploration. The constant competitiveness between USA and USSR during the cold war led to many major breakthroughs in the history of space exploration beginning with USSR launching the first international space station and USA successfully landing a human on the moon. The international space station (ISS) stands as the basis of how international collaboration can affect space exploration. Even though some nations are unwilling to work together, space exploration provides a platform for nations to form relationships that benefits one another and create beneficial relationships with each other.

Over the course of human history there has always been a strong drive to explore and travel to new and exciting places. Space exploration has captured the imagination of the general public for the last 30 years; it is only natural that people are now beginning to ask if and when they too might venture into space. Space and tourism have both developed at an equally rapid pace, and the potential of both together is definitely going to grow further. Although human spaceflight is currently the privilege of a few space-exploring nations, recent advances in space technology and entrepreneurship are about to change the status quo. China, with the assistance of Russian technology, was able to place an astronaut in space in 2003 in a fraction of the time that it took other space powers, such as the USA and USSR, to do this. The first credible private space-tourist venture is already a reality. The first space tourist, Denis Tito, flew in 2001 in a government vehicle, although his flight was privately funded, whilst in 2004 the first spaceship became a reality.

Space exploration refers to the exploration and discovery of outer space’s celestial structures by means of the ever-growing space technology, which is continuously evolving. Space physical exploration is conducted by using unmanned robotic probes. Human spaceflight is also used for space exploration. The history of space exploration dates back to the 20th century when the world’ most powerful states such as Russia and the United states scrambled for superiority. Space exploration therefore became a sense of pride and extreme manpower leading to development of space vehicles, which attempted to reach space. The space exploration programs were conducted by government space agencies mainly of the United States and Soviet Union due to the sensitivity and huge finances involved. With time, private organizations began to purchase and offer space launches, laying ground for private space flight. Satellite radio, communications satellites, astronaut transport, satellite television and sub-orbital space tourism comprise the Earth orbit’s private space lift.