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Recommended: Benefits of space research

Essential Question: Did the formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its programs positively affect the people of the United States? On October 1st, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) formally opened its doors for advancements in space and atmospheric research. After the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1, Earth's first artificial satellite, on October 4th, 1957, United States President, Dwight D. Eisenhower asked his science advisor, Dr. James Killian, to research the best process to develop a national space program. Killian presented many proposals to Eisenhower, who eventually approved Killian's proposal of instituting a civilian space agency built around the militaristic National Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). In the legal process, the name became the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, the name that currently stands today. Eisenhower sent the draft legislation of the National Aeronautics and Space Act to Congress on April 2nd, 1958 and it was passed and signed into law on July 29 of that same year. Since its creation in 1958, NASA has sent up 135 space shuttle flights and has discovered 715 planets as of February 27th, but as said by the Associate Director for Planning and Evaluation at NASA's John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland Dr. Howard Ross, "What we do in space is much more than just science." Though NASA was created for research purposes, spinoffs, which were technologies developed by the agency, were later put to commercial or other forms of beneficial use. Why did the United States government form NASA? The United States government created NASA for a multitude of reasons but the primary one was the launching of the Soviet Union's satellit... ... middle of paper ... ...al agency positively affected the people of the United States. Though NASA was originally created to compete with the Soviet Union's space agency, NASA has built off of many programs intended for use in space and brought them into the lives of the United States citizens. The GPS Software, the HACCP, and the grooving technology improved the safety of Americans in substantial amounts and are still being used today. Weather satellites have helped farmers and airlines in avoiding unnecessary losses of money, whether it is from loss of crop due to freezing temperatures or increase in delay time, respectively. Communication satellites have linked the world into the state of connectivity it is in today and allows the world to function efficiently. Taking all of these points into account, it can be said that NASA has had a positive impact on the people of the United States.

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