Many people undermine the importance and contributions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA. As president Obama is forced to make severe budget cuts, NASA is among the most affected programs to endure the blow. This issue does not take aback many people, but experts say that what is occurring will affect everyone as well as the economy more than they may believe. These extreme budget cuts recently issued by Congress impinge on the NASA space program by having a large impact on culture, and risking the setback of innovation in today’s machine-driven society.…
In the early morning of February 1st, 2003, the US watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over the blue Texas sky (Simberg). The wreckage of the ship and the remains of her seven crew members were strewn all across Texas and parts of Louisiana. Even the most staunch NASA believers contemplated their support for the agency as fire rained from the sky. It had been nearly 17 years since the last fatal disaster of the Challenger explosion, and this served as another frightening reminder that space travel still is not safe. The incident caused the question that everyone asked themselves that day: Is the journey of space travel and exploration worth the sacrifice of human lives? This line of thinking has ultimately lead to the debate over whether we, as American tax payers, should continue to fund NASA in its mission to explore and understand the universe. I propose that NASA is not only an important part of our government, but an absolute critical piece of our development as a human species.…
Reasons as to why the U.S. Government should continue to fund N.A.S.A’s space program is a huge controversy today. With the ideals that American tax dollars should be spent on more important things and that companies are now able to construct their own rockets that are able to send people on excursions into space, really is what challenges government support and true betterment of humanity.…
Arguments abound as to why the space program is a waste of our precious time, government resources and…
In 1961, the world was changed forever, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin entered the spacecraft Vostok 1 and traveled into space. Following him in the same year, was the American astronaut Alan Shepard in Freedom 7. Then in 1969 the crew of the Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon. This space race in the 1960s helped to light the fire of man’s interest in outer space and has lead mankind to wonder if we could live away from the comfort and safety of planet Earth. Many scientist and explorers have wondered if it would be possible to colonize the Moon or Mars for the purpose of research, resources, and hopefully a secondary home for the human race. However, many people have also doubted the idea of leaving the safety of planet Earth to explore other options of habitable places. Many argue that space exploration is dangerous and some critics argue that it is using too much money that could…
Space exploration was magical for my generation. If you asked any child, especially boys, what they wanted to be when they grew up, many would proudly announce “An astronaut!”. That does not seem to be the case with the youth of today as our space program is not the glory we once knew. For the majority of Americans, the Challenger Disaster was just that, a disaster. After watching the documentaries and listening to the opinions expressed by both experts and those actually in charge of the lethal decisions in the launch, my views have changed. It is hard to imagine money and appearance were the driving motives to launch a shuttle with known complications. The fact the space program…
When we feel like we’ve failed, we sometimes want to give up in fear that we will get the same result. In 1986, Ronald Reagan knew very well that NASA’s mission to send the Challenger into space had failed. People lost their lives that day. But he stood by NASA and said, “We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.” Reagan encouraged…
After Oedipus, the king of Thebes becomes exiled; his two sons Polynices and Eteocles become the joint rulers of Thebes. After both brothers argued over whom deserved the right to become the king, they decided to duel for the throne. Because of this dual, both brothers killed each other and now the question is who should rightfully become the next in throne. Antigone, by Sophocles was a story about a young woman, Antigone, who betrays her own uncle, Creon, to bury her brother. After reading this short play, I believe that Antigone was right to bury her own brother’s body.…
Since the beginning of time there have always been those that have opposed exploration of uncharted lands. This statement holds truth also for the NASA program since the beginning when President John F. Kennedy's vision was to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.' Instead of all the opposition of NASA and questions such as, "Why should we go to space?" I believe people should ask themselves, "Why shouldn't we go to space?" Christopher Columbus didn't have to sail over the Atlantic Ocean and discover America, he could have stayed in Europe but then we may not be living in the United States of America. Christopher Columbus and many others human didn't stop but continued to explore because they are humans. We as humans have an instinctive nature to explore and discover. This is seen especially in children. When toddlers see something such as a shiny object, they investigate it by picking it up, feeling it and maybe tasting it. As we grow, it is only necessary that we as humans continue their search to discover and explore. If the excitement and thrill of exploration isn't enough for you, there are also many benefits that NASA and space exploration contribute.…
"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” This famous quote was said by Neil Armstrong when he and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. This was an accomplishment that will live on forever in the hearts of the American citizens on July 20, 1969. Ever since that day many people envisioned humans traveling the cosmos, pushing our limits, and making our mark in the universe. That was more than 40 years ago and today there has been a lack of motivation or initiative to do what was once viewed as the need to spread our species out into the stars before the inevitable death of our planet. NASA’s budget has seen cuts over the years and recently has had the need to call upon private companies to further their space programs so they can still…
Do you think that the space exploration is worth the cost. Do you think that it is worth the resources and lives. I do think it is worth it. It has helped us advance in our technologies. It has helped us discover a lot more.…
The Space Race was one of the grandest stages of the Cold War, a quasi-war between the United States and Soviet Russia that pushed both the boundaries of both countries’ resources and forcing advancement in battles for technological and cultural superiority. The Space Race in particular propelled innovation in sectors that previously had not been considered in competition with Russia, including astronomy, science research, and intellectual ability. One of the greatest impacts of the Space Race in the United States is its effects on the country’s philosophy of and attitude towards education. The space race pumped more money and enthusiasm…
Neil Armstrong once said "The important achievement of Apollo was demonstrating that humanity is not forever chained to this planet and our visions go rather further than that and our opportunities are unlimited.". This quote shows how much humanity values space exploration for its symbolic and real value. But since Neil Armstrong said this there has been a change in the way people view space exploration. For example, during the height of the space race NASA's budget was 4.4% of U.S. GDP but today its only 0.5%. Jerry DeGroot, History professor at the University of St. Andrews, said "Funding NASA siphons money from other worthwhile, terrestrial programs such as helping the nation's poor." and that "The time has come to pull the plug on meaningless gestures in space.". So in this paper, I will see if space exploration, NASA in particular, should be publicly funded.…
According to Steven J. Dick (2008) in The Birth of NASA, Russia’s launch of the Sputnik satellite in October of 1957 was a source of embarrassment for America. America saw itself as a “leader in aeronautical and space science and technology” and Russia beating them to space was a slap in the face. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was born July 29, 1958, at the direction of President Eisenhower. At its outset, some of NASA’s objectives included providing national defense agencies with discoveries that would aid in national defense, reestablishing America as the preeminent technological leader of the world and peaceful cooperation between the U.S. and other nations in pursuit of shared goals (para1-9). Today, with the shuttle program gone, and with NASA’s budget getting ever smaller, these original mandates are getting more and more difficult to fulfill. As a result, America is in danger of losing its position as the preeminent leader in space exploration and technological advancement. This paper will be an examination of reasons why the U.S. should continue to fund space exploration despite other problems in the world today.…
I think space exploration is good thing for this world because we might find pterodactyl next big thing in space. I'm just saying that maybe we find the cure for cancer in a faraway planet or find a way to go into the past like time travel space is too big to look at thru a microscope but if we spend money we could be saving lives by the thousands instead of 7.6 million dying each year. I think president Kennedy was right for having such a liking to the space exploration and for thinking about the well being of his people. Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward, I think Kennedy was thinking that when he said this line that there won't always be an easy way to the new frontier but we will get there and he knows it will cost a lot…