Introduction
The beginning of NASA was based on both military and scientific pursuit. After the World War II, United State department of defense started a series of research into the rocket and atmospheric sciences to thump their leadership in technology. The science was based on having better understanding of the earth through observation system, through research and exploration (Harvey, 2003). The plan involved data collection from the outer space. The Naval Research Laboratory’s Vanguard was selected to support this program afterwards but the technological requirements outweighed the funding and this jeopardized its success.
The US satellite program was put in crisis by the launch of Russian Sputnik in 1957 but she subsequently launched her own in 1958, the explorer. The launch of Sputnik alarmed the congress and they perceived this as a threat to their security and technological leadership (Madders, 1997). They later agreed to establish a separate agency to conduct non-military studies and research within the space and also to develop space technologies. The agency launched research into mercury to ascertain whether man could live in this planet, whether they could recover both man and the spacecraft safely. The agency issued guidelines on the technologies used and the existing equipment, and the approach to this task.
Since the inception of NASA, the society has had benefits ranging from public safety to industrial productivity. NASA developed fiberglass that was coated with Teflon which has been used for roofing in buildings and stadia worldwide. The agency had been responsible for the transfer of information from space to the community; it had improved the communication sector (Madders, 1997). NASA developed cooling systems for treatment of patients with medical ailments like spiral and sport injuries. This was from the garments that they wore that had the capabilities to protect them from high temperatures. They developed a lightweight breathing system for firefighters and subsequent reduction in inhalation difficulties for people in this sector. Every major petroleum and mining companies use data, pictures and images that are provided from space, courtesy of NASA research and explorations.
The benefits of space program can be grouped into
- Earth surveying; the satellites launched into the space by NASA were responsible for this function. The benefits could be felt in the sectors such as agriculture, geology, geography and oceanography. The satellites had improved the remote sensing department globally with more and precious information concerning the earth system. Given that the dangers of famine, depletion of natural resources and permanent ecological changes were a challenge to all nations globally, the request for such information and data normally generated revenue for the agency. If the funding for NASA at that time could have been stopped, it would have taken time to develop such information and data (ABA, 1976).
- Communications and meteorology; the benefits of communication satellites has so far overtaken the cost of their installation and development. They are generally used to provide transoceanic links for commercial purposes (Slaton, 2010). The satellites that provide direct delivery and broadcast television has the potential to provide educational, medical and remote services to areas that could not have received such services. The weather satellites that were launched provided constant and daily information to the global weather services, offering the platform for accurate long-term weather forecasting.
- Technology utilization; the technology advanced by NASA into the space had a multiplier effect in the economy for the general public that had the capacity to solve certain categories of problems. Some of the facilities and equipment were being used for law enforcement, pollution control, air transportation, maritime port planning and conservation (Harvey, 2003). The successful of technology to fields such as industrial, medical and social problems demonstrated the productivity and improvement in the quality of lives of the global village.
- The rule of law in space; since the inception of space program in the US, the program had been put to the concept that space should be the common heritage of the entire mankind for peaceful functions. The research and subsequent exploration of space should be of the common interest of all mankind. There should be mutual co-operation for peaceful functions, exchange and dissemination of information.
Given that the agency was formed to achieve among other things greater national pride, enhance the United States leadership in technology, there were very few/hardly any opposition to the creation of NASA. The agency’s goal was the emphasis on the value of partnership with both private and international agencies to enhance deeper understanding of the space (Harvey, 2003). However, the critiques point to the sometimes the lack of focus in its finding; citing the fact that sometimes the purpose for funding does not reflect the interests of the down to earth citizens of the United States thereby resulting to assumed wastage of resources. They argued that the amount of dollars that were allocated to this program could have been used to solve other problems affecting mankind. Some of the departments had shown deteriorations in their performance (ABA, 1976). By the year 1967, the tide started turning against the NASA with their budgeting dropping from $5billion by $600 million, although this was as a result of scheduled development goals being met rather than a budget cut. Their budget was later cut by President Kennedy, though he was one of the supporters of NASA.
The supporting institutions included the Ames Research Center. It was founded to conduct research on areas such as wind tunnel and the aerodynamics of aircrafts and aeronautics. It played major roles within NASA. They were responsible for the development of efficient and safer space explorations. The Army Ballistic Missile Agency was also an agency that became part of the NASA mission; led by Dr. Wernher von Braun they were responsible for the development and subsequent launch of Saturn V. This provided the platform for the development of Apollo program by NASA. The group organized a trip to the Antarctic wastelands in the summer of 1966-67 to verify the usefulness of the space trip. They were mainly interested in checking whether the experience they gained could be useful in space technology (Harvey, 2003)
Reference list
ABA (1976). Ecospace: The Economics of Outer Space- and the future. ABA Journal, Vol. 61, Issue 3, pp. 268- 395.
Harvey, B. (2003). Europe’s space programme: to Ariane and beyond. Springer Publishers. New York.
Madders, K. (1997). A new force at a new frontier: Europe’s development in the space field in the light of its main actors, policies, law, and activities from its beginning up to the present. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.
Slaton, E.A. (2010). Race, Rigor, and Selectivity in U.S. Engineering: The History of an Occupational Color Line. Chicago. Harvard University Press.