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Space Shuttle - For What?

Motokid

Motokid

New Member
America launches another space shuttle tomorrow...and I sometime have to wonder why?

What is the need, and the benefit for/to humans to spend ca-billions of dollars on space flight? What have we accomplished so far that justifies the expense?

It seems there is so much here on earth that needs attention. What is the fixation with just a few hundred miles above the planet? What kind of experiments are being done in space that can't be done in a special lab here on earth?

What are some of the benefits man has enjoyed from past flights into space...other than bragging rights and a few moon rocks in museums?

Why does man need to go into space? What is the end-all be-all goal of the space program?
 
Motokid said:
What is the need, and the benefit for/to humans to spend ca-billions of dollars on space flight? What have we accomplished so far that justifies the expense?
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I don't know, Motokid, maybe the entire computer revolution?

Without the research, and technological advances made through going to the moon, and subsequent travel into space, the rapid advancement of computer technology would not have happened, at least not on the scale that we have seen it.

Satellite technology, cell phones, and a host of other advancements are due to what we have learned by going into space.

Check out this website to see how you, personally, have benefitted from the Space Program.

http://techtran.msfc.nasa.gov/at_home.html
 
jenngorham said:
just a quick hijack here, but has anyone scene a launch? i would love to go sometime.
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I have yet to see a "quick" hijack...

My brother saw one at Canaveral (sp?) He has always wanted to work for NASA.

I said that just as if someone cared! :D
 
back on topic....

I'm sure most of the "advances" that have been made thanks to the space program probably could have been made if the money was spent in some other way....like exploring the bottom of the ocean.

I'm not saying good things have not come from the space program.

What I'm wondering is if we ned to keep dumping ca-billions into it? Is there a need for "Humans" to be in space? Why not use satellites and computers? I would image the cost savings would be huge.

Why do we need to keep sending shuttles into orbit for a few short days at a cost of billions on a regular basis?
 
It is pretty easy to say "can't we use satellites and computers" when we have them already. Our grandparents would think it was a waste of time to send people into space, too, but can you imagine not having the technological advances we have had in the last 50 years?

The work being done today will bring the progress that will be needed for our children's generation.

I think there are a LOT of unnecessary government programs that could be eliminated or reduced, and a lot of pork to be trimmed, that would benefit the taxpayers rather than getting rid of the Space program.

Doing away with the Space program, in my opinion, would be like a major manufacturer diverting all R&D money into new production:

Pawning the future to finance today.

That doesn't make sense.
 
NASA needs to continue their research and scientific studies, but they need to get out of the business of launching commercial satellites. It's the launching of commercial satellites that cost tax payers big money for no return.
 
Robert said:
NASA needs to continue their research and scientific studies, but they need to get out of the business of launching commercial satellites. It's the launching of commercial satellites that cost tax payers big money for no return.
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Now I can agree with that...

I would love to see commercial interests launching their own satellites. Imagine the jobs that would open up through a commercial space program!

that would be awesome.
 
When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity.

To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300 C.

The Russians used a pencil.




It's a joke by the way.
 
leckert said:
Now I can agree with that...

I would love to see commercial interests launching their own satellites. Imagine the jobs that would open up through a commercial space program!

that would be awesome.
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NASA always underbids Commercial interests, then passes the bill to the tax payers.
 
They should get the bloody planet we live on sorted first before bouncing probes off passing rocks.
 
I think that if the leadership of NASA changed their would be a more efficient program run. I watched programs on both the history and discovery channels about how their last ship blew up, and it was due to the leaders not listening to the scientists who helped design the ship. I think there's a lot of room for improvement in making the program more efficient cost-wise
 
If not for the recent rover missions on Mars, I still would be unable to sleep thanks to that little book called War of the Worlds. Now, thanks to NASA, I can sleep without worrying about those little green men invading our planet with giant tripods. In addition, we'd never have that joke: What color of eyes did the mission crew members in the Challenger have?
 
Motokid said:
I'm sure most of the "advances" that have been made thanks to the space program probably could have been made if the money was spent in some other way....like exploring the bottom of the ocean.
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This is a good point motokid. We know so much more about and spend so much more money exploring space than we do the water that makes up 75% of this planet's surface.

I don't really see why space exploration is seen as so important, but deep sea exploration is constantly getting cut.
 
Um, guys, NASA is vital to our understanding of our oceans. We gain invaluable data from satellite views; information we could never generalize from in situ studies alone, though they are equally important and probably are neglected in our hunger to make use of new technologies. But NASA actually funds and grants quite a few localized studies in oceanography IIRC.

I'm not any kind of expert, but I'll try to come up with some links tomorrow or something.

Point being, it's not either or by a long shot.
 
ok...we've got major health care issues in this country....we've got major national security issues...we've got major educational issues (according to some people)...we've got major issues with fuel, and pollution to name a few.

The space shuttle program in particular has been running for many years at a staggering cost. I'm not saying that all space exploration should stop. I'm not saying that mankind has not reaped some rewards from past programs.

I'm questioning the need "now" for furthor space shuttle launches and furthor expenses into the current shuttle program?

Advances in technology won't stop if the shuttle program is cut way back. Technology advances come from many different arenas.

Suppose the shuttle program money was shifted towards developing a system of energy that would allow America to decrease it's dependance on oil. Wouldn't that help the world, America, every living creature, and also keep technology advancing in the right direction? We'll need smaller, lighter, faster, better electronic components and other things for cleaner burning fuels....

just a thought....
 
Just to add a few things:
- The study of the atmosphere.
- Growing protein crystals for x-ray crystallography. (Helps determine the structure of proteins)
- Improvements in Material science.

The space program gives a wealth of scientific information.
 
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