SEDS-Saving Space Exploration

No one could have predicted how important the innovation created by the space scientist to explore the space, could be used in the Earth in different ways to improve the quality of life. In fact, numerous societal benefits have been experienced by the space exploration missions.

Look up at the night sky, see the stars, planets and our closest neighbor, the moon. Every human being at one point in his or her life has done this same thing. It is only natural to look up and wonder in awe at whats out there. Human beings are made with an innate desire to expand and explore. In the 1950s when there was no more of Earth to discover, people started looking upwards at the sky to satisfy this internal desire. Hungry for dominance and technological innovation, the United States created NASA and embarked on what would become the greatest voyage in human history. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, space travel and the technology which powered it advanced far beyond what any prior civilization could imagine. Inspiring in humanity hope for a future not on Earth. An analysis of the effects of the NASA space program on the United States reveals a radical shift in educational policies, an influx of new an innovative technologies, and a renewed motivation and hope for the future.

One of the biggest misconceptions of NASA is the idea of a homogeneous organization. NASA is, in fact, a conglomeration of different groups with various aims. Sometimes these groups can be at odds with each other over various organizational resources. The nature of space operations split these groups within NASA into two general categories: the “Human Destiny” camp with human spaceflight and colonization of space as the ultimate goal and the “Science in Space” camp focused on using robotic spaceflight to perform space science.

Picture a typical 5th grade class at a career day. The young boys and girls are full of jitters and excitement to learn about the future careers of their choice. Some will choose the typical banker or lawyer approach, but what about the child who dreams to be an astronaut? Is this a realistic goal? Is there even a need for space exploration in today’s world? The answer is yes. Space Exploration is still central to discovering the vast universe.

Since the first space exploration in 1958, many controversial disputes have arisen questioning the necessity of space exploration. Some claim that space travel is simply not worth the risks regarding astronaut safety and economic costs. Others claim that the stars are a bridge for all nations, allowing us to solve problems, build wealth, and enhance life for people on Earth. Although space exploration has made a broad impact on the world we know today, I strongly believe that it is unnecessary to continue to fund programs involving space exploration when considering the extraordinary costs, unsafe conditions, and contamination problems which could potentially endanger us. Initially, manned exploration missions to space involved a greater amount

Time and time again has it been proven that the best means of advancing the world is through the education and inspiration of young people. This is a crucial part and a high priority of NASA in particular and has led to the development of many programs for students across America to be inspired and become prepared for the next generation of space exploration. Specifically, the FIRST Robotics Competition, the DIME Competition, and the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge are all programs designed to harbor the curiosity and wonder that those of the younger generation possess in the field of space exploration. Consequently, a force of future scientists, engineers, and, of course, astronauts is developed to pursue space exploration for years to come.

Space has become a big part of everyday life without anyone realizing it. With a growing understanding of space, people are able to learn new things and send humans and other objects out of the atmosphere and solar system. Space exploration has an important history and future involving advanced technology and engineering.

Throughout my entire life, there was one thing that truly amazed me more than anything else, space. Most people become amazed by space as a kid and just lose interest, this was not my case. Some nights I would spend hours standing in my backyard with my high powered telescope finding anything I could. I've spent countless amounts of time and money building, painting and flying model rockets as tall as 5 feet. I’ve wanted to help out with space exploration so much that I came to college with Aerospace Engineering as my major, hoping to help out in the future. It is a widely debated topic whether or not to continue with space exploration. We should first see why it is important to continue by knowing why and how it all started.

Space exploration inspires hope in young children and gives them something to aspire to, but obviously that’s all it should remain, a desire until the

Writer John Derbyshire notes, “None of the most useful off-planet projects – G.P.S., earth imaging, antimissile technology – has any requirement for human beings in space” (Derbyshire, 1). Not only can machinery do what we need to get done, they also do it at a cheaper cost. “Anything a human being does up there could be done by unmanned machinery for one-thousandth the cost. With the ever-increasing intelligence of our machines, the cost gap will only get wider” (Derbyshire, 1). The costs are a big reason for why there is much hesitation for manned space travel. “No president since John Kennedy has been willing or able to project the necessary vision of a human future in space, or willing to expend the political capital to make future human exploration of the planets a reality – or even a real but distant plan” (Chandler, 3).

To begin, space exploration can lead to innovation and technology. In “Future of Space Exploration,”, it states that many humanitarian needs that have to be met on Earth can be fulfilled through unexpected innovation and technology. This is significant because then, space exploration could fulfill needs

Specific purpose: To inform audience members on both modern and forthcoming capabilities of space travel.

I'm not saying make-up is evil, but we all know what's in somewhat good taste, and what isn't. But, hey!, I could be wrong: There could actually be a great person hiding under that crusty exterior; most of the time there is. A balance needs to be achieved or at least strived for when designing a web page or any page for that matter. I'm not trying to rag on Raygun or anything, because I like A LOT of the stuff that they do, but one must not get carried away with it and ignore what one is supposed to be doing in the first place. For this reason I have chosen to pick on the Alternative X web site (http://www.altx.com/), for this paper. Well, not really pick on them, but you know what I mean. So in our quest to discover the ideal web page we must look at the following things: 1) Does it make sense? Is its layout so erratic in such a way as to render the viewer blind because of the designers lack of vision and utter stupidity? 2) Organization. How and why were things placed in the places they were placed, needs to be known, or at least made seemingly apparant. 3) Since this is a web site we are critiquing, and like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Book one can skip to another section with almost no fear of being inquisitioned, does its "links" lead to somewhere meaningful?

Innovation breeds new technologies and sciences that constantly reform our way of life. And space exploration is a field that is always working on the bleeding edge of our knowledge, consistently pushing the boundaries for what we can achieve. Many people know about the successful landing of the Mars rover, or the Apollo missions to the Moon, and maybe about a few of the technologies that have come from space research, but do these benefits of space exploration outweigh the costs? And why should anyone care about what goes on hundreds of miles above our heads, when there are dozens of problems that already need addressing right here on Earth? That is, how does space exploration impact our daily lives and why is it important in comparison to other major global issues today? Well, while many arguments can be made regarding the low budget other organizations have in comparison to NASA, or some of the future problems plaguing the industry, a few things are for certain: the contributions that have come from space exploration, and the benefits society earns from exploration itself, have a strong impact on day to day life, and an even greater impact on a global scale.

When put into the context of the entirety of human history, space exploration is a very recent development. However, how recent the development is does not hamper the vital importance of space exploration, both within the current climate of society and within the future of humanity. Unfortunately, lack of proper planning on the part of the American federal government has left NASA, the federal agency for space exploration, tragically under supported. Without the proper allocation of funding, NASA struggles to simply survive, much less thrive, within the highly advanced space exploration industry. The space exploration agency cannot hinge on NASA for success given the current state of the agency. Ultimately, lack of federal support for NASA leaves the future of space exploration in the hands of private enterprise.