Why have so many people lost interest in America's Space Program and what will it take to win their support?

Question

When NASA first started the Space Shuttle Program, everyone was excited and in awe of this complex engineering feat - just like the days of the Apollo Space Program. But now, the only converage you see on TV of a Space Shuttle flight is during the launch for a few minutes and 30 or so seconds of the landing. Why is more media coverage given to insignificant events (a cat that was pulled from a tree) than events that affect our Nation in a profound way. Is media coverage responsible for this or is it because the media knows the public is not interested in Space and hence, decides to give it very little coverage?

Answer 1

They are desensitized to the idea of spaceships orbiting earth. The more you do it the more it is taken for granted. The attitude is been there done that.

The moon landing is humanities' greatest accomplishment. If you compare that to what we are doing now, all we are doing is playing like child in the shallow end of the pool. WE ARE NO LONGER EXPLORING NEW PLANETS, ALL WE ARE DOING IS USING ROBOTS.

The people who pay for this need to be amazed. They need to see the earth based benefits to space exploration. They need to be involved.

The average person has little industrial knowledge. They work in a service industry. Their parents(the people who cared) had fabrication jobs and space missions were a sign of their hard work paying off. They cared because they were involved.

You want people to care again? Here's how we should do it:
1. Astronauts on MARS.
2. Permanent bases on the moon.
3.Find a way to make it viable for the average person to fly sub orbital (i.e. xprize).
4.Keep Hubble and make lots of pretty pictures available to the general public.
5.Keep the Mars Rovers going as long as possible and make them more acessable to the public.
6. Education spending (duh).
7. Military applications for space. People need to be aware that the Icbms are still out there. A better understanding of space can save lives.

This would help in the short term. To be honest people are bored because we focus more on research than exploration. In today society that is not considered as important. NASA is out of touch with the average person. We all can't be equally passionate about the same thing.

Answer 2

Becuase NASA is a useless waste of government money. Looking at stars and stuff, floating in space, wasting rocket fuel, building a big piece of scrap metal called a space station doesn't save lives or help anyone. Any research that has benefited from the Space Shuttle could have easily been discovered on the ground.

Hopefully someone will build a rail cannon that can launch satellites in to orbit and we won't need any rockets anymore. That's why only 12 people have set foot on the moon, because they found out it was just a big reflective rock and was waste of money after Apollo 11. Just like this waste of money with the Mars rover missions, Viking I and II went there 30 some years ago and found nothing, so why did we send something back, maybe if we sent a rover to Olypus MOns or the polar ice caps that would have been cool.

Answer 3

Media, well now, events such as the "space" program doesn't "sell" newspapers (nor "time" on TV, nor magazine space, etc.) - does it? Media is not only trying to make a "dollar" - it's the only way they can function. It's a vicious cycle. The media (all kinds) needs to make money, the space program looses money every time they "fly" - so nobody wins - especially the normal human (who has no $$$) that is living on Earth!
But the answer to your question is $!!! $ for the media, $ for the space program, and especailly $ anyone involved with either!!!
Money, the almighty "Dollar"! It's amazing what happens, or especially NOT, when money is involved! Do you realize how many millions of "Dollars" that it takes to get one of those rockets - not counting the Space Shuttle - into outer space! Well - it's multi millions of $$$$!!!
There are "problems" here on Earth - we humans think that it (the Earth) will last forever - wrong!!!!!! There is even "things" (involving the climate and weather) that are going on now that are plenty scary - or should be for everyone - not just me and you!!!! Where are we supposed to go when our planet is warn out???? Someone should be thinking on that scenario, NOW - not when "things" become critical!!! I have news for you - the "Media" doesn't care about that either - cause it's not going to make them any "money"!!! Unfortunately - - - -
But "NO" the people who could actually help are more worried about "Money" and "Dollar" issues that they are about places where the multitudes of people, on the planet (including themselves - for they will be the only ones with the "money" to actually go "wherever") may have to go!!!!
No one cares that we are eventually NOT going to have anywhere to go!!! No other planet (or world) is even being "fixed" so that people can live there. No one cares about "space exploration" anymore and the "money" goes to "other things"!

Answer 4

I'm kind of amazed by the answers here. First off, the space program has given rise to so many discoveries and inventions it's hard to even count them all. Many things, if left to private interprise, might never have been developed. Secondly, what's all this talk about lives lost? We've walked on the MOON and been into orbit countless times and have lost only a handful of people. Tragic yes, but relatively speaking, the safety record is IMPECCABLE.

I think the space program needs an overhaul, and probably needs a better marketing campaign, but it's definitely a necessity for this country.

Answer 5

Once upon a time there were all kinds of plans for the future that space exploration would help us to accomplish. Now it seems to be an expensive undertaking with no benefit to mankind or the US. I think the American people would like to see something in return. If you invest money in something, you usually expect to see something in return. I think there are benefits to the Space Shuttle Program - but darned if I can come up with one right now. And is the benefit greater than the lives lost in this program?

Answer 6

The amazing fact of space flight has become commonplace. There was not even much coverage given to the first civilian space flight. I think a lot of it has to do with the media's choice of coverage, a lot of them tend to think along liberal lines of thought. That means that the space program is bad since it takes money from the starving masses (Which they claim are the fault of all the other government programs)

Answer 7

The people realized how very costly the space program is in terms of dollars AND lives, with very little directly foreseeable enhancement to the lives of those who walk on this planet. I am not saying that there has been nothing gained from the space program, but has it been worth the billions of dollars that have been poured into it? Would that money not be better used in other areas, such as health or education? Just a thought. I have nothing but respect for the men and women in the program, but I have very little interest as it seems to have very little practical impact on my daily life.

Answer 8

I think the extreme cost, combined with foolish spending has caused America to loose heart. We have become a nation with a drive thru mentality. If the results do not immediately benefit us, we are not interested in supporting a space program. Part of this is due to lack of media coverage and part is due to simple lack of caring on America's part. With the combnation of weather related catastrophies, we have better places to be putting our money currently.

Answer 9

This is striclty opinion: We aren't going anywhere. As someone who was alive to witness the first lunar landing, I remember how excited even non-science types were then. It was a fun time! Now all we do is send up satellites and screw up unmanned missions to Mars. A manned base on the moon might bring everyone around again. Maybe. We can only hope.

Answer 10

Many think rhe space program is starting to waste money, then there is the fact that it has happened so many times it isn't the most amazing event like it was over 20 yrs ago