It is often debated whether or not the Space Race was necessary. People have viewed it as a waste of time, money, and resources. America spent over $25 billion on the space program, equivalent to $100 billion today. Many believed that there were far more pressing matters on Earth, and that they should not explore space. Those people only saw the disadvantages that it had (Biddle, 2009). However, the Space Race was beneficial to humanity in various ways. Today Americans can use the knowledge obtained during the Space Race for countless purposes including commercial and military applications (Rabinowitch, 1963).The Space Race changed the face of science, international politics, and technology forever (Schefter 2005). The Space Race was not …show more content…
The greatest number of advances in exploration and discovery were made during the Space Race (Rabinowitch, 1963). The Space Race supplied vital knowledge about space to curious minds, and allowed Americans to better comprehend the expanse of the area beyond Earth. With new satellites, such as the Transit Satellites, Americans could now receive warnings of hurricanes and storms, as well as view forest fires and icebergs. The Space Race also brought the establishment of NASA in 1958 to oversee the space program and to ensure America won the Space Race (Young, Silcock, & Dunn, 1969). Since then, NASA has made many discoveries, advancing our scientific knowledge, and currently employs about 18,000 Americans. The knowledge that the Space Race provided helped accomplish many historical feats and eventually allowed a man to visit the moon (Cadbury, 2007). The discoveries that were founded during the Space Race resulted in new ideas about galaxies, solar systems, and the universe (Rabinowitch, …show more content…
During the Space Race, the first orbital satellites were sent to outer space. Today, Americans can communicate, predict the weather, and study geodetics because of the satellites that first orbited in space.All satellites and space probes carry specialized radios receiving and transmitting equipment for guidance and control purposes as well as relaying data from space to Earth. Without the first satellite transmission of a human voice in 1958, communication would not be as efficient (Rabinowitch, 1963).
Another way Americans utilize satellites is for meteorology. The satellites monitor major storms and help meteorologists more accurately predict the weather. Satellites are able to capture photographs of the Earth and other planets. This ability allows scientists and researchers to constantly obtain more information about space and the
The Space Race was invoked by the growing technologies of the United States and Soviet Union’s space programs during the Cold War. The starting point of the Space Race was the launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union. The Space Race has impacted society greatly politcally, socially, and economically. The Space Race was a very tense period of time in history because both the United States and Soviet Union improved their technology to such a degree that the two countries have both made it to space multiple times.
Satellites, are perhaps one of the biggest reasons why we know so much about the surface of our earth today. They give us a view of our entire Earth as we know it from the depths of space. But satellites have done more than just give us a beautiful view of our planet, they have allowed us to study oceans, the atmosphere, clouds, weather, rain forests, deserts, cities, farmlands, ice sheets, and just about everything else on—and even in—Earth.
The space race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union that occurred during the Cold War. They competed for dominance in space technology and spaceflight, which spurred many significant inventions and events. Some of these inventions and events include the first-ever landing on the moon, the first artificial satellite to be launched into the Earth’s orbit, the establishment of NASA, the invention of the microprocessor computer, the invention of satellite communication technology, and other direct and indirect impacts. Each of the different events and inventions that spawned from the space race have had significant impacts on the United States economy.
Since the launch of the first satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957, space flight has transitioned from being centered on politics to being focused on more scientific and commercial applications. Nowadays, satellites play an integral role in our daily lives providing us with services like weather forecasts, navigation, communication and television. Satellites make significant contributions to scientific research as well. One of many such examples is the Hubble Space Telescope, which has helped to make many important discoveries about deep space. Valuable in terms of their contributions to science and our everyday lives, satellites are also quite expensive. The International Space
Many critics believe that NASA and space exploration should not be the main focus of the government. However, NASA is not just about flying rockets and putting men into space. There is science and engineering that is being developed to push humanity forward in life. This space program is essential to answering philosophical questions, creating new technology for practical everyday use, the international collaboration with other countries, and the long-term survival of the human
Different companies and organizations around the globe use communication satellites. Governments, commercial entities, and individuals use satellite services. For example, we have satellite television from companies like DirecTV, satellite phone service, global positioning systems, imaging, and internet services. To have the ability to access the satellites and services available requires specialized equipment to interact with the satellites. The most important piece of equipment for any satellite service is an antenna, you must have an uplink antenna to send anything to a satellite and a downlink antenna to receive anything.
One main contributions to today’s advanced technology is the satellite. Though the first satellite was sent to space in 1957, people were not able to pick up a satellite connection to their home televisions until 1980. Today, 96.7 percent of Americans have a television in their household, which means 96.7 percent of Americans are using satellite connection ("Ownership of TV 1). Though people may not even think twice about it, satellites play a huge role in today’s society. When someone uses their navigator to figure out how to get to the closest Wal-Mart? They are using a satellite. When troops are searching for enemy troops and predicting missile attacks? They are using a satellite. When someone is watching the weather broadcast? They are
Since the historic journey into outer space by Yuri Gagarin, manned spaceflight and space exploration have generated and motivated astounding inventions and innovations. These discoveries and developments affect every single person on Earth, and have improved a wide range of fields including health, food, technology, entertainment, automobile, dental, medical, safety, sports, and many more industries.
Space exploration by the United States has been going on since the early nineteen hundreds. The impacts of space exploration can vary from being the first country ever to land on the moon, to having satellites orbit our planet. Despite the achievements space exploration has given to this country, there are many issues—with money, extraterrestrial threats, and the lack of a reason for funding—at hand that should be addressed to make decisions about the future of space exploration in the United States.
The ability to observe Earth from outer space dramatically improved weather models. As a result, weather forecasts are more accurate. Satellites also play a critical role in global telecommunications. The conveniences of satellite radio, satellite television, and Global Positioning Systems (GPSs) are all made possible by spacecraft.
These satellites help to monitor and give warnings of dangerous weather, allowing for increased time for evacuation and further preparation. Without such data we obtain from satellites hundreds of thousands more would die in natural disasters such as hurricanes.
Scientist came to label his hypothesis as geostationary orbit, and the sector at which satellites today revolve around, 22,300 miles above the ground, was termed Clarke’s belt. Although Sputnik 1, launched in 1957, was the first artificial satellite to orbit earth, the “first communications satellite was Score, a United States satellite launched on Dec. 18, 1958. Score broadcast a taped greeting from President Dwight D. Eisenhower” (“Communications Satellite”). From there, communications satellites continued to grow and mature in many ways, such as receiving radio waves and re-sending them back to different locations on earth, that would further connect the world into what it has become today.
Satellites and spacecrafts have been launched for various purposes. The atmosphere in space is used for television programmes, radio broadcasts, telecommunication, etc. Satellites provide advanced disaster warning and help to forecast the weather. Distance educational programmes, natural resources management, etc. are controlled by satellites. Space research can help us to find the origin of the
Technology is a part of daily life and Space exploration continues to be the catalyst for advancement. Satellite technology is one example. After many years of satellite use for space exploration, satellite television was introduced. “In 1978, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) introduced Public Television Satellite Service” (Advances in Satellite TV: Changing the Way We Watch Television). Shortly after, direct to home receivers were created (Advances in Satellite TV: Changing the Way We Watch Television). Satellite broadcasting allowed television to be streamed all over the world with stronger more reliable signals. Today most of the global population watches television. Satellites provide the GPS system, which is mainly used as a system of navigation. GPS technology is evolving today enabling things such as autonomous vehicles. These ideas used to be seen as futuristic, but not anymore. In the near future we could see people driving places on what amounts to auto-pilot.. The equipment company John Deere is already close to producing accurate self driving farming equipment. During the
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