NASA’s Shuttle Program also known as the Space Transportation System, was the first winged manned spacecraft operation to have achieved orbit and land, also the first to use reusable spacecrafts and make multiple flights into various orbits. Although the shuttle program took America to a heighten achievement of orbital transportation, recent closure of the program has baffled many Americans and left questions about the future of the American space missions. The closure of the program by the Obama administration is a short-term allocation of government funds that should be better understood as a strategic move to improve the future stability of the American economy. The budget cuts are part of having a balanced budget that will recuperate the current economic situation in America, the cuts can also be depicted as position the government has led programs to newly reorganize their agendas and better manage the establishments. NASA stands proud of the staple 30 years the Shuttle Program made in achievements, goals, and innovation into prosperous future of Space travel; it is also compromised to keep succeeding the agenda with current missions.
NASA’s Space Shuttle Program or Space Transportation System (STS) was developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration a federal executive branch. NASA coordinated and managed the STS program and also oversaw all space flight requirements for both civilian and commercial uses. Its missions involved carrying large payloads to various orbits, provided crew rotation for the International Space Station, and performed service missions, like the updating of all technical hardware and software.
The program started in the late 1960s, when NASA began the early Shuttle program studies. ...
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Ritter, Mario, and Barbara Klein. "Science and Technology." After 30 Years, the Space Shuttle Program Retires. VOA News., 26 July 2011. Web. 30 July 2011.
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was booming in the late 1960 's because the U.S. invested over 4.5 percent of the Federal Budget (Bolden). Unfortunately, in the recent years the Government has slashed funding for many of NASA’s projects in an attempt to cut back on the deficit and boost the economy. Despite the plummet in NASA 's budget, the program has proved that it 's prominence in the U.S., space programs like NASA continue to face difficulty in increasing its funds. Although, NASA leads Evidently, the government doesn 't think NASA is worth more than 0.47 percent of the federal budget. NASA is being underfunded and its funding should be substantially increased to make ends meet. This trend needs
middle of paper ... ...2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. The "NASA History" Congressional Digest 90.7 (2011): 196-224. Academic Search Premier -. Web.
Through this national address Reagan hopes to reach out to the public and encourage them to keep their faith firm in the American space progra...
"Space Shuttle System Overview." NASA. Ed. Jim Wilson. NASA, 22 Aug. 2007. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
It took NASA a couple years to resume its flight to orbit. The catastrophe of the space shuttle challenger shook them up and have rethink their procedures and methods of operation. NASA, improve or I should say worked on developing its shuttle management structure, its shuttle safety panel, critical review and hazard policy, communication, safety organization and many more.
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In the mid-1980’s, the shuttle space program was the focus of the political media since it had failed to deliver on its exp...
In 1986, the Challenger crew met at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for countdown training. The crew of this shuttle included two civilians and five astronaut members: “Teacher-in-Space” payload specialist Christa McAuliffe; payload specialist Gregory Jarvis; and astronauts Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist; Dick Scobee, mission commander; Ronald E. McNair, mi...
On a cold winter’s morning on the 28th day of January in the year 1986, America was profoundly shaken and sent to its knees as the space shuttle Challenger gruesomely exploded just seconds after launching. The seven members of its crew, including one civilian teacher, were all lost. This was a game changer, we had never lost a single astronaut in flight. The United States by this time had unfortunately grown accustomed to successful space missions, and this reality check was all too sudden, too brutal for a complacent and oblivious nation (“Space”). The outbreak of sympathy that poured from its citizens had not been seen since President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The disturbing scenes were shown repeatedly on news networks which undeniably made it troublesome to keep it from haunting the nation’s cognizance (“Space”). The current president had more than situation to address, he had the problematic undertaking of gracefully picking America back up by its boot straps.
The National Academies Press (2012) NASA’s Strategic Direction and Need for a National Consensus retrieved from http//www.npa.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18248&
middle of paper ... ... NASA Marshall. Marshall: Launching the Future of Science and Exploration. 15 February 2010 http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/home/index.html>. NASA Public Affairs.
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?
Detractors of public sector space agencies like NASA frequently argue that expending money and resources on sending humans into space is wasteful and irresponsible during shaky economic times. After all, in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau in recorded 46.2 million people in poverty, the largest number in the 52 years the figure has been published. Putting tax dollars into a shuttle and sending it on an extraplanetary voyage is uneconomical in the eyes of many. However, beneficial developments of the space program can be found in airports, hospitals, laboratories, and homes around the world. Foam created for protecting the outside of a shuttle passing through the harsh atmosphere has found use as a durable, light-weight molding material for artificial limbs. Research and development for NASA'S programs has parented a network of hundreds of communication satellites used around the world on a daily basis and monitored by NASA. Robotic arms used for repairs, maintenance, and hazardous labor in sp...
(Source K) Flowers, Sarah. “Understanding: Space Travel.” Rev. of Understanding: Space Travel. PoQuest. N.p., Aug. 2000. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. .
Relating to the Audience: I believe that the Space Shuttle program has fascinated most if not all of you at some point of time, so much so that it has driven some of us to pursue Aerospace Engineering. Thus, it is a good idea to explore the program’s end result, the reason why it was started in the first place – To build the International Space Station.