So since we can't decide what we should do we send the money into space... ohhhhh I see.

Teddy Bear,

Well, that is one way of looking at it. It is also true that almost all of the money spent on the project remains here on Earth. All the jobs which are generated throughout the economy by this mission – and all NASA missions – remain firmly on the ground. Everyone from the most humble groundskeeper who maintains the launch site facilities, through the mechanics to the engineers, and ending in the Mission managers, all remain on Earth, and spend their salaries on the same types of things you an I do.

The only bits of the mission which are gone forever are the launch vehicle and the probe itself.

Thats a unique view. :)

But aside from creating a few jobs what do we gain thats of any use from space exploration?

Velcro

WD-40


let me think on that some more

TeddyBear

Alot of the remote and micro-integrated medical sensors we now rely

on during operations were developed for space.

Micro-gravity promises medicines of unparalleled purity, crystal growth

for electronics impossible in our gravity well and fun for hundreds

of generations of kids.

PantyFanatic,

War will continue as long as two idiots want to kill each other.

All we can do is try to keep them from taking us with them.

Gentlefolk,

I hope that you are just pulling my leg, but on the off chance that you are unaware of some of the benefits of space exploration, I shall list a few.

Scratch-resistant lenses for eyeglasses are a spinoff product from something developed to protect satellites from getting nicked by space debris. Nitinol is a medical alloy which makes wearing dental braces easier. Nitinol was developed to enable satellites to “open up” more easily when deployed from the cramped confines of a launch vehicle.

Back in the 60’s Project Mercury technicians invented an automatic blood pressure measuring device. You can use the consumer edition of that device in many pharmacies for an instant check-up. Heart pacemakers communicate through electronic telemetry similar to that developed to operate satellites orbiting the earth. The implantable insulin pump that helps keep diabetics alive borrows technology from the mechanical robot arm on the first Mars Voyager probe. There’s a miniature blood pump which has been approved for use in humans. This heart pump uses technology from Space Shuttle fuel pumps.

Another spinoff from the space program comes from the HST’s Charge Coupled Device (CCD) chips. The CCD chips enable imaging that can discern between a malignant or benign tumor without the need for a biopsy. The cost for this procedure is hundreds of dollars versus thousands for a biopsy. Multiply that by the half million women each year who have one, and you are talking real money. There is also the personal avoidance of surgery with the attendant risk and scarring.

In the sphere of Earth sciences, remote-sensing technology implemented in satellites has been very valuable in areas such as disaster preparedness and mitigation, ocean health monitoring, weather prediction, forest and agricultural management and land use planning. Focusing on weather prediction alone, the American economy saves millions of dollars every year form the improved predictions provided by satellites operating in space.

I humbly bow in the presence of those with great knowledge. I seriously had no clue. I'll ease up a little bit on my negative outlook regarding the space program. But I'd still like to see more money spent at home on some of the things mentioned earlier. TY for explaining to the fluff brain bear. :)



And jseal, if I was pulling your leg you'd know it sweetie. ;) :D

No need to bow, Teddy Bear. The question you raise is a valid one.

My thought's always been that the money didn't go to space ... just some metal and plastics and stuff. The money went into the businesses that built the craft, the jobs that created, and the salaries of the people that work there ... not to mention the taxes that support the programs that help the hungry, poor, homeless, etc.

On the other side, the knowledge derived from challenging ourselves to do things that have never been done before seems to add real future value.

Probably just goofy thinking on my part ... but that's what I've always thoughtl.

Teddy Bear,

NASA has failed to communicate the vales of these space spin-offs, and needs to do a better job doing so. I stand corrected for assuming that everyone shares my interest in this subject. They are spending your tax dollars, so questions like "Why go into space when we have unsolved problems here on Earth?" and "What does the space program do for me?" are legitimate and pertinent questions. Irish expresses similar concerns in his post. Each of the goals in your post is valid, as is the “earth exploration” Irish proposes. Please accept my apologies for any implications to the contrary.

I consider it unfortunate that so few people are aware of the substantial benefits the space program provides to our daily lives. Applications on Earth of technology developed for space flight have produced many – I’m sure I can say hundreds - of different products that improve the economy as a whole, and each of our lifestyles. Collectively, these spin-off applications represent a substantial return on the investment (our tax dollars) in aerospace research.

Update
 

The Cassini-Huygens probe passed within 350,000 km of Saturn’s moon Titan, one of the mission’s primary science targets. The spacecraft has managed to image large linear features on its surface which have not been observed from Earth because of Titan's thick atmosphere. One guess is that these could be tectonic structures - areas of crust which had been shaped by movement similar to what happens on the Earth.

This is the link to the NASA site that explains more about the exploration of Saturn and also explains more about how we receive benefits from space exploration...I found this very interesting... and some really cool pictures of Saturn and its moons!!

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/index.html

Also, there is a section there where you can check up on the Mars Rovers... :D

Another good reason for space exploration.... :D Looking at things from a different view!

http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/mission/index.htm

http://aura.gsfc.nasa.gov/

There is a spectacular set of pictures of Saturn's Rings, Titan, and Phoebe here!

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimed...atest/index.cfm

Environmental Satellites
 

Another Earth satellite, the “Aura” will be launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on Tuesday. It is the third in the NASA’s series of satellites aimed at providing hard data on the global environment. The first two global environment satellites, “Terra” and “Aqua”, gather information about the ground and the oceans. Aura will concentrate on the atmosphere, looking at gases, pollutants, and chemical reactions.

The 3 ton satellite will be used to test whether the Montreal Protocol to repair the ozone layer is working. While it SEEMS to be working, Aura will provide accurate numbers one way or another. Another of Aura’s roles is to assess the role of tiny particles in the atmosphere. These particles, containing sulphur or carbon, come from natural sources, such as volcanoes, and from human sources, such as coal, oil, and gasoline burning.

If Aura can provide the data needed to by scientists to understand clearly what these aerosols are doing, the costs of effectively reducing air pollution can be minimized, or with the same amount of money, the air quality can be improved more.

Effectively using the information is a political event, not a scientific one.

People...BIG PICTURE for a moment....

We are entering an age of wonderous and HISTORIC scientific discovery. Rovers on Mars, snapping pictures of an alien landscape, discovering WATER (one of the necessary building blocks for life as we know it)....Cassini orbiting Saturn and an opportunity to land a rover on an alien moon...probes capturing material from comets and the solar wind....this is the stuff that expands our knowledge of the Universe and helps to define our place in it.

I am not saying that feeding the hungry isn't important. It's damn important. However, it is a flawed argument that suggests a choice between feeding hungry people and expanding mankind's knowledge. We cannot and must not foresake one for the other.

This is why I was buoyed by the President's proposal for the future exploration of space. Are they lofty goals? Absolutely. Can we pay for it? Sure. Should we pay for it? Not sure. But I do know that if you reach for stars but only get to the moon, you've still gone a long way.

President Kennedy was right to dream big...we should do the same.


rabbit