Benefits of NASA

Since the beginning of time there have always been those that have opposed exploration of uncharted lands. This statement holds truth also for the NASA program since the beginning when President John F. Kennedy's vision was to ‘land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.' Instead of all the opposition of NASA and questions such as, “Why should we go to space?” I believe people should ask themselves, “Why shouldn’t we go to space?” Christopher Columbus didn’t have to sail over the Atlantic Ocean and discover America, he could have stayed in Europe but then we may not be living in the United States of America. Christopher Columbus and many others human didn’t stop but continued to explore because they are humans. We as humans have an instinctive nature to explore and discover. This is seen especially in children. When toddlers see something such as a shiny object, they investigate it by picking it up, feeling it and maybe tasting it. As we grow, it is only necessary that we as humans continue their search to discover and explore. If the excitement and thrill of exploration isn’t enough for you, there are also many benefits that NASA and space exploration contribute.

The first benefit and almost the most obvious is technology. Getting into space isn’t easy and takes time, money, and research. In order for the missions to be successes much technology is used, which a lot of the time also effects the rest of society. One simple example came from the question, “How do you get rid of excess heat when you're standing under an open sky with literally nothing between you and the blazing fury of the Sun?” NASA scientists came up with the liquid cool garment which kept the astronauts cool and comfortable from head from to toe. This cooling system was then eventually adopted by firefighters when dealing with dangerous high temperature materials, race care drivers, and soldiers in the desert. Another simple device used in about every home is the smoke detector. The smoke detector was first used and created for the Space Shuttle. These devices quite simply detect smoke which can be caused by fires and saves thousands of lives per year. Of course NASA’s most visible achievements are the ones in space, such as the space shuttle and space stations, but NASA has found itself into everyday living on Earth.

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... know about the dangers and still accept the challenges isn’t because their crazy or stupid, but because they are adventurous, smart, and considerate. The Columbia was going to improve earthquake safety, cleaner air, and continue to better human life. All the astronauts on the Columbia were scientists and performing tasks from tumor growth experiments to global climate change that could only be done in Space. But even the families of the astronauts said the explorers left Earth with "a willingness to accept risk in the pursuit of knowledge - knowledge that might improve the quality of life for all mankind." The closest people to the astronauts, their families, who were hurt by the tragedy the most also added, “the bold exploration of space must go on.”

NASA and space exploration will continue to go on and I believe the strength behind the program will also grow as more discoveries are made. As humans it is our nature to explore and besides that, thousands of benefits from saving lives to everyday life are attributed to NASA. The possibilities of space exploration are only limited by your imagination and we are only in the early stages of it.