Is the United States wasting money on the Space Program, or is it worthwhile to be in our budget?

Answer 1

this is the answer I gave to a similar question posed by "Revolver":

We don't send many people to space and we have gotten a lot out of it. A whole lot of technology has come out of space and a whole lot of understanding physics to manipulate our world has come out of space. The most common thing launched into space are satellites. They power cell phones, TV, allow us to map the world, watch for forest fires, predict weather and storms and evacuate states for hurricanes, for defense purposes, for GPS and lots of useful things. Digital cameras are just bad versions of the CCD's used in astronomy. Space programs discovered the hole in the ozone layer, the destructive power of solar radiation and technology originally developed for space programs has been used to help policemen and protect firefighters, to put barcodes on retail products, to make the quartz watches everyone uses. Smoke detectors located in every American household were originally developed for NASA.

The space stations are used to do all sorts of scientific research including biological research which can be used back here on earth to better understand our bodies and to save lives. Space research on growing plants has led to the development of a device that can kill airborne pathogens like Anthrax and currently there is antibiotic research underway up there. Space is the only place low gravity experiments can be conducted and we have to send scientists up there to do the research. Space protocols used to keep air, water, and food safe for astronauts are being implemented to keep people on earth safe from bioterrorism. Using space techology, NASA researchers are developing better pain free artificial bones for things like hip surgery and a bioreactor using space techology has been developed that can both grow new heart tissue or grow new cartilage and ligaments.

These are just a few examples. The list goes on.

Besides, answers to where and how we fit and belong in this large and beautiful universe - I wouldn't call that nothing.

Answer 2

"Does everybody comprehend how some distance away the closes super call outdoors our own photograph voltaic gadget is?" you have a defeatist's concepts-set. What could a 12,000 mile trek look go with to human beings from the 1800's? precisely. it fairly is all approximately progression of technologies. we can't and could no longer basically provide up. "Impossibly some distance to get to. Did I placed the notice "impossible" in there?" No, it grow to be the notice "impossibly." Gee, I stay interior the 1800's subsequently flying machines must be impossible. do you comprehend how illogical and ignorant you sound? "we could be employing all that to national wellbeing care." How approximately stem cellular analyze if it is going to be a scientific investment. as a replace of nerve-racking approximately wellbeing care, why do no longer we fund projects that seek for to greater powerful humanity which incorporate the gap software and the scientific field. additionally, NASA contributed plenty to scientific imagery and a super variety of alternative sensible technologies. we've benefited plenty from NASA and striving to attain for the celebrities will deliver many greater sensible technologies and integrity of the human race. WOW!!!! i did no longer comprehend that folk have been this ignorant.

Answer 3

Much as already come out of the space program. My personal favorite is Mylar.

How about that, I didn't even find it necessary to politicize the answer.

Answer 4

Of course it is. We live on a planet of finite resources. We can only live here for so long. So I guess if you consider the future and survival of our species worthwhile, then it is.

When asked why he climed Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary replied, "Because it's there."

Answer 5

We are wasting a lot more on the "war" in Iraq!