The Hubble space telescope is a deep space imager used by NASA to explore space. It collects light and magnifies images, and gives Astronomers the most detailed images known to man. Hubble has been at work since April 25, 1990, and celebrated its 20th anniversary in orbit April 24, 2010. Twenty years in service, and still being the leading source for space news says a lot about Hubble's overall longevity and productiveness. Over 6000 scientific articles have been published based on Hubble data, with some of its discoveries being so significant that NASA would have needed multiple satellite missions to accomplish the same results. Its importance to me is based on my lifelong interest in astronomy, and the galaxy we live in. It's importance to others, such as NASA and Astronomers around the world, is due to the fact that Hubble is currently the leading source for new information and ground-breaking discoveries when it comes to deep space, But after a stalled launch in 1985, 5 repair missions since it's beginning, and billions of dollars in funding, I asked myself: Is Hubble worth it? As part of my research for this question I read two article related to the Hubble space telescope: An article from NASA’s official website titled ‘Hubble: The Essentials’ and an article from the New York Times titled ‘Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost’ by Stephen J. Dubner. Both articles played a direct part in my question and its answer: What does Hubble do? And is it worth the cost?
In the article from the official NASA website, NASA gives a list of Hubble’s accomplishments, which gives the reader a comprehensive picture of Hubble’s importance. Hubble has not only given astronomers the most detailed images of outer-space in existence, but also taug...
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... not put a price on knowledge, and the advancement of the human race, and even if you did, the 7 billion dollar/year price tag on Hubble is nothing compared to some of the other things our country spends billions on. The Hubble Telescope has completely re-written everything we know about the galaxy we live in, and taught us things that will allow us to grow as explorers, and advance as a civilization, and continue to learn, and THAT is priceless.
Works Cited
"The Telescope: Hubble Essentials." HubbleSite. NASA, n.d. Web. 20 Jul 2010. .
Dubner, Stephen. "Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost?." Freakonomics: The Hidden Side of Everything. New York Times, 11/1/2010. Web. 18 Jul 2010. .
history. It managed to send the first human into orbit and to the moon. The discoveries, NASA have made in the recent decades have enabled us to have more knowledge of planets and stars, and resources way beyond this planet. In another hand, reasons as to why the U.S. Government should continue to fund NASA 's space program is a huge deal today. With the ideals that American tax dollars should be spent on more important things and that companies are now able to construct their own rockets that are able to send people on excursions into space, really is what challenges government support and true betterment of
Milovic, Carlos, Hubble Legacy Archive and NASA. "Astronomy Picture of the Day." 29 October 2012. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131015.html. Photograph. 1 Dec. 2013.
The question and controversy central to this paper and following ones will be “Should NASA be funded?” This question has several sub-questions and will need to be answered with accuracy and care. To further define the question, NASA’s current level of funding,
As the Hubble telescope’s life comes to a historic end, we look back at all it has done for the scientific community. The Hubble has helped scientists make many new discoveries about our universe. Galileo Galilei and Edwin Hubble were huge contributes to the astronomical community, therefore a major help in transforming the first telescope into something as amazing as the Hubble. The first telescope was perfected by Galileo in 1609, and around four hundred years later the Hubble was launched into space. Since then the Hubble has shown scientists many new discoveries about space that they would have never been able to figure out without the Hubble’s help. Since April 1990 the Hubble telescope has been greatly appreciated by the scientific community because of everything it has done. However, the Hubble has faced many problems along its way as well.
Just recently a major discovery was found with the help of a device known as The Hubble Telescope. This telescope has just recently found what many astronomers believe to be a black hole, After being focuses on a star orbiting empty space. Several pictures of various radiation fluctuations and other diverse types of readings that could be read from that area which the black hole is suspected to be in.
These are the reasons why I believe there should be more investment in space research and technology. It would be a time consuming and financially draining quest, but the pay off in new technology, applications, resources, and expansion opportunities make it a goal to strive for. As our rate of consumption of Earth’s natural resources continues to increase, it is imperative that we invest in the research of outer space as a possible solution to sustaining the human race.
Randy Colon Professor David Mathews English 121-060 11 May 2015 Privatization Is The Future of Space Exploration Mankind’s exploration of space is approaching its 60-year anniversary. In its splendor, space exploration is a very expensive task. Just recently, the government began to allow private corporations to bid on and compete for the job of putting Americans in space. NASA is coming to realize that for us to progress in space, we need to do it more efficiently, and for less money. It all started when the Soviet Union launched a small satellite the size of a basketball into orbit.
Nancy Grace Roman has researched fascinating phenomena, made amazing discoveries, and started several projects that have changed the way the field of astronomy works. In 1955 as one of her first major research projects, Dr. Roman was part of a team that documented new “spectral types photoelectric magnitudes and colors and spectroscopic parallaxes for about 600 high-velocity stars.” (Roman, 1955, p. 195) Dr. Nancy Grace Roman was also the one who discovered that stars similar to the earth’s sun demonstrated subtle differences from other stars in the same class. (Roman, 2013, p. 2) This discovery led into her research in radio astronomy, where she also determined that Sagittarius A was a composite source instead of the galactic center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Dr. Roman did this by comparing her own measurements of the galactic center region that she acquired using radar with her colleague’s measurements, that he obtained using a shorter wavelength. (Roman, 2013, p. 3) But perhaps Dr. Roman’s greatest known accomplishment as an astronomer is her work with the Hubble Telescope project. During her time at NASA, Dr. Nancy Grace Roman was in charge of the early planning and development of the Hubble Telescope. (Roman, n.d.) Roman also created the program structure for the project, as well as convince Congress to approve of the program and its funding. (Roman,
Livingston, D. (2008, January 21). Is space exploration worth the cost?. The Space Review: Essays and Commentary about the Final Frontier. Retrieved March 28, 2012, from http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1040/1
The Space Race for Survival: “Why do we explore space? Is there even a real point of it?” These questions have been asked for decades, and an argument has been ongoing for just as long. This is because some people just don’t understand the sheer importance of the exploration of space, they don’t give it the slightest bit thought. They don’t realize that the survival of the human race depends on it.
NASA had originally wanted to launch the Hubble in 1983 but because of multiple program problems it was delayed. The Hubble’s imagining mirror was completed in 1981 but the rest of the optical assembly was not finished until 1984. Finally in December of ...
NASA’s research and innovation looked promising, but it came at a cost. Money, resources, and spacecraft accidents, most famously Apollo 13 all hindered NASA’s research. In the 21st century, the debate over funding for NASA is at its peak since the birth of the organization in 1958, especially when there are numerous problems throughout the world. Is the money spent on space exploration worth the advantages and advances it contributes to society? When considering this topic, one might ask themselves, why explore space?
Since the beginning of time, mankind has sought after learning about and exploring the universe. This yearning drove us to achieve such great things as the journey to the moon and the discovery of water on mars. Nowadays, several people argue as to whether or not space exploration is worth the effort. I believe that it is humanity’s instinctual nature to pursue a better understanding of ourselves, and our universe. Further understanding of our universe will lead to the discovery of new technologies and ways to secure humanity’s survivability. As such, this essay will argue that space exploration is a necessity to our kind and that NASA should be progressively more financed.
Most people think that the costly downside to funding space exploration is a reason to avoid spending money on sciences and instead spend it on problems here on earth, but such funding for space exploration actually promotes economical as well as scientific benefits. Space exploration is an important expenditure for the high cost because of the potential for numerous benefits such as the possibility to find useful resources to cultivate, space exploration and satellites produce many thousands of jobs in our economy, and it creates and discovers newer and better technologies through research and development.
By being in a very technologically advanced era, scientists can invent revolutionary devices never thought of. NASA is doing that right now and has been doing that since it began. They are not only climbing the stairs in space exploration but in the medical industry, too. Nevertheless, they are forever changing millions of lives by using all they have discovered. Most of all, they are teaching people a life lesson, to always use the things you have for the greater good. NASA has achieved profound success ever since their start in 1958 and they will continue to make discovery and innovation their first and foremost goal for years to come.