Should the Space Program Be Defunded?

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Introduction. Should the space program be defunded, that was a question that was thrown around in 2006. This program that was started in a quick race to stop the spread of communism, and to propel the U.S. to the front of the arms, and exploration race. Well 06’ came and past and the program was cut. Was it the right thing to do or did we give up on the ultimate chance for exploration into the unknown. In the 60’s there was a TV show that ran the majority of 30 years it had one line that played at the beginning and sparked the imagination of every child, young adult and now scientist. What was that phrase? “To seek out strange new life, and civilizations, to explore new worlds, and to boldly go where no man has gone before.”(Gene Rodenberry, Star Trek, 1964) So what has the program done for us, and what is in store for the future? I hope that in this short paper I can show what the space program has contributed to mankind, as well as what has become of the program now 7 years down the road. What the space program done for us. The program started back in 1958 for us, it originally was a military program aimed at improving our missile defense. However by this time along with missile build up the Russian government had already put two people in space. Then in the late fifty’s we started, we were the first to send a man around the world and put a man in deep orbit. Along with this we got a new innovation, which had been in the development for years prior like the Teflon fiberglass that now is used for paces like stadiums, or the push for faster jets from the X-51 project. As the decades progressed the innovations got larger. As the 60’s came and went then the seventies, and finally the 80’s the technology became more evident, there... ... middle of paper ... ...have employed them, but most of them have had to settle with jobs that include security, and window washing. However it still adds a little shakiness to an already unstable economy, and has disappointed a lot of people who are fans or where fans of the program in an economy that is struggling to create jobs. Works Cited 1. http://www.aerospace.org/education/inspiring-the-next-generation/space-primer/a-brief-history-of-space-exploration/ 2. http://www.nasa.gov/50th/50th_magazine/benefits.html 3. http://www.space.com/11751-nasa-american-presidential-visions-space-exploration.html 4. http://www.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/top-5-nasa-inventions.htm 5. http://www.universetoday.com/37079/benefits-of-space-exploration/ 6. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/story/2012-07-15/space-workers-jobs/56234378/1 7. http://www.virgingalactic.com/

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