The space program ?

IKE

IKE

Well-known Member
Location
Oklahoma....U.S.A.
I've really never really understood why we've spent billions of dollars exploring outer space.

I've always felt all the money spent could have been put to much better use right here on earth by;.......some that come to mind quickly.

1. feeding and providing medical attention for the millions of starving and sick people all over the 'our' world.

2. providing better care for the aged.

3. having better care for our veterans.

4. more medical research on diseases.

5. better social services for those that deserve it.

So what if we beat country 'X' to 'X' planet, that benefited us how other than giving us chest thumping rights ?
 

As I understand it, the space program - all the way back to the days of Redstone rockets, Colonel Stapp and his rocket sled and even Werner Von Braun - has had multiple research and application benefits in science, medicine, automotive technology and many other fields.

In fact, I would venture to guess that the space program has contributed to all but the last item on your list.
 
SifuPhil said:
As I understand it, the space program - all the way back to the days of Redstone rockets, Colonel Stapp and his rocket sled and even Werner Von Braun - has had multiple research and application benefits in science, medicine, automotive technology and many other fields.

In fact, I would venture to guess that the space program has contributed to all but the last item on your list.
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Not to mention answering age old questions!!
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IKE said:
I've really never really understood why we've spent billions of dollars exploring outer space.

I've always felt all the money spent could have been put to much better use right here on earth by;.......some that come to mind quickly.

1. feeding and providing medical attention for the millions of starving and sick people all over the 'our' world.

2. providing better care for the aged.

3. having better care for our veterans.

4. more medical research on diseases.

5. better social services for those that deserve it.

So what if we beat country 'X' to 'X' planet, that benefited us how other than giving us chest thumping rights ?
Click to expand...

The Space Program is one of the Very Few...perhaps the ONLY government program that has been a good investment for our economy. Many reports have shown that for every dollar spent on the space program, as much as 10 dollars have been generated for our economy....in the form of innovation, new industries, jobs creation, etc.,etc. The social services you mentioned are All necessary in a civil society, but they generate very little return on investment. The day may well come when we have totally screwed up this planet that may make it necessary to colonize other planets in order to insure the survival of our species. The exploration of space is probably the greatest challenge humanity has ever attempted and it will be centuries before we really reach the ability to travel through the universe...but these first "baby steps" are necessary if we are to ever reach such a lofty goal. After all, many of the things that were just "science fiction" years ago, are now reality today.

Besides, it has always been part of human nature to want to explore new horizons. Were it not for Columbus, and other explorers, we may not even be here.
 
fureverywhere said:
Way ahead of my time but didn't have something to do with competing with Russia? Betty Grissom, widow of Gus Grissom, who died during the testing of Apollo 1, lashed out at NASA in 2011.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/gus-grissom-s-widow-has-harsh-words-for-nasa

You do wonder for the lives lost and money spent if it was truly worth it.
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The space race probably began way back in 1957, when the Russians launched Sputnik...which was the precursor to the arms race and the threats we faced during the Cold War...with both the U.S. and Russia armed with ICBM's and nuclear weapons. This Sputnik launch threw the nation into almost panic mode when Russia demonstrated a superiority that could have had major consequences had Eisenhower and Kennedy not responded.

The Space program is like any other exploration. Over the centuries, there have probably been thousands of lives lost as people explored new horizons. It's almost amazing, given the complexity of this program, and the zillions of things that could go wrong, that there haven't been more lives lost.

Insofar as "being worth it" here is a short list of the technological breakthroughs that have occurred as a result of the Space Program.....

http://sac.edu/AcademicProgs/Scienc...Pages/Benefits-of-the-NASA-Space-Program.aspx

Sure, there is an expense involved, but the NASA budget accounts for less than 1% of the total Federal budget. In terms of value received for those dollars spent, No Other Government Program comes anywhere close to the benefits we have received from the space program.
 
fureverywhere said:
Way ahead of my time but didn't have something to do with competing with Russia? Betty Grissom, widow of Gus Grissom, who died during the testing of Apollo 1, lashed out at NASA in 2011.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/gus-grissom-s-widow-has-harsh-words-for-nasa

You do wonder for the lives lost and money spent if it was truly worth it.
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At least they could get the story right - Apollo 1 did not "explode", the command module caught fire during a training session.
 
I know, I have the Grissom biography and have read a lot about it. One of the other wives committed suicide.

http://www.rocketstem.org/2014/03/1...kes-final-visit-to-apollo-1-memorial-service/

I would imagine knowing your husband died in such a gruesome way, not something you might ever recover from. By chance one day I met the wife of Dick Scobee. Like Betty she realized the risk, but not worth it for losing a husband.
 
fureverywhere said:
I know, I have the Grissom biography and have read a lot about it. One of the other wives committed suicide.

http://www.rocketstem.org/2014/03/1...kes-final-visit-to-apollo-1-memorial-service/

I would imagine knowing your husband died in such a gruesome way, not something you might ever recover from. By chance one day I met the wife of Dick Scobee. Like Betty she realized the risk, but not worth it for losing a husband.
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Good link.

I think that they should have a rule for astronauts - no family. It's just too darned hard on those left behind.
 
On a flight from Chicago to Miami one early morning in early summer of whatever year it was, we were flying near enough to see a rocket launch from Canaveral. With the plane at 36,000 ft., the passengers on the left side (port) of the plane could see the rocket as it was coming up through the clouds. It was an amazing site to watch and in fact, I slowed the plane for a few minutes to allow the passengers on the right side (starboard) to catch a quick look if the passenger in the left side seats allowed them to get to the window.

If it weren't for the space program, I don't believe that we would have come so far, so quickly with the technology and medical machinery that is available today.
 
IKE said:
I've really never really understood why we've spent billions of dollars exploring outer space.

I've always felt all the money spent could have been put to much better use right here on earth by;.......some that come to mind quickly.

1. feeding and providing medical attention for the millions of starving and sick people all over the 'our' world.

2. providing better care for the aged.

3. having better care for our veterans.

4. more medical research on diseases.

5. better social services for those that deserve it.

So what if we beat country 'X' to 'X' planet, that benefited us how other than giving us chest thumping rights ?
Click to expand...

All 5 of your suggestions can and should be addressed by some of the worlds Billionaires!!
 
Yup, and I believe Velcro came out of rhe space program and most of couldn't live without it today; Tang, no so much...
 
oldman said:
On a flight from Chicago to Miami one early morning in early summer of whatever year it was, we were flying near enough to see a rocket launch from Canaveral. With the plane at 36,000 ft., the passengers on the left side (port) of the plane could see the rocket as it was coming up through the clouds. It was an amazing site to watch and in fact, I slowed the plane for a few minutes to allow the passengers on the right side (starboard) to catch a quick look if the passenger in the left side seats allowed them to get to the window.

If it weren't for the space program, I don't believe that we would have come so far, so quickly with the technology and medical machinery that is available today.
Click to expand...

A few years ago, when the Space Shuttle program was in full swing, we took a trip to Orlando, and went over to Cape Canaveral to catch a launch. What a Sight and Sound Show!!! Even from several miles away, it was Awesome. Anyone who doubts the value of the NASA programs should do an internet search on "benefits of the space program"....there are dozens of reports that detail how those expenditures have benefited our nation over the past few decades. On average, NASA gets .8% of the Federal budget, and returns 10 times that amount to our economy via jobs, and technological advances, etc.
 

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