Many people seem to think that space exploration is a waste of time. According to Bad Astronomy, part of Discover Magazine [1], people see space exploration as nothing more than a luxury. However, in my humble opinion, this point of view couldn’t be further from the truth. Let me ask you a question: Who in here has a cell phone? A GPS Navigation system? CDs? How about a keyboard for a computer? Flat panel TV or monitor? Who has heard of solar panels? Freeze dried food? Ultrasound scanners? Lasers? The Internet? Yes, most of that stuff is pretty obviously useful in the space program, but there are tons of other byproducts that many people take for granted that just wouldn’t exist without man’s forays into space.
Let’s take for example: the smoke detector. According to problem-solving-techniques.com [2], “NASA needed a smoke and fire detector for Skylab, which was America's first space station. Honeywell, Inc. developed the unit for NASA.” The technology rapidly spread into homes, and is pretty much present everywhere today. We could easily say the same for cordless power tools, scratch resistant lenses, trash compactors, and even the sports bra.
According to thespaceplace.com [3], there are tons and tons of further advancements made possible by space programs. Enriched baby food, Doppler Radar, laser angioplasty surgery, the pacemaker, and the MRI (which hits pretty close to home for me,) are just a few examples of products that were indirectly created by the space program. We have one member of our class whose career’s technology has been advanced by leaps and bounds by the space program, and that’s our resident welder. The Plasma Arc Welding torch and the Welding Sensor System were both created specifically by NASA to make the lives of their welders easier, and their work of a higher quality.
Geeks such as myself have been mapping the stars since at least 1200BC, when the earliest known star charts were made in the modern day Iraq area. More likely, however, is that man has always looked to the stars, wondering and dreaming about what could be out there.
[1]
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/11/28/why-explore-space/[2]
http://www.problem-solving-techniques.com/US-Space-Program.html[3]
http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html
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Topic: [MILK] There were 12 eggs here what did you do with them? (Happy thread?!) (Read 14556627 times)