The NASA Program: The Benefits Of The NASA Space Program

More capital should be invested in space technology, and thereby the NASA program, in order to advance sustainable development technologies. It is undeniable that our global climate is changing because of decisions the human race made long ago. These historic moments that forever shaped our industrial and postindustrial world have been proven to have large and unprecedented side effects which now threaten our very way of life. However, space technologies and the programs that develop them are viable options in the management and treatment of these side effects. If we focus on the NASA Space Program we can see the historical proof if its usefulness in sustainable development, economic feasibility/payback, and finally its potential to solve intricate,

One of the major parts of sustainable development is fixing environmental disasters which NASA has proven to excel at. The space program piloted the development of tiny beeswax balls that clean up oceans after oil spills. These balls absorb the oil that would otherwise decimate unique ecosystems and even serve as a kind of fish food when they decompose (US Space Program Benefits). In addition, NASA protected people using a technology originally developed to protect space technology from outer space radiation. By making radiation insulation for satellites and other tech, NASA inadvertently created the perfect way for nuclear power plants to protect not only its workers but also the surrounding environment from extremely damaging radiation (Benefits of the US Space Program). Finally, solar technology, for example solar panels, were originally designed by NASA as an energy solution for its satellites (Benefits of the US Space Program). This is a clear example of a time when creating a new space technology had a positive impact on a sustainable

Clearly, the long list of inventions and innovations just seen disproves the claim that NASA and space technologies have no positive impact on American lives is utterly false, but what about the money? Finally, NASA should continue to receive funding (and actually receive more) because of its undeniable positive affect on our economy. The stimulation of private industry, job creation, and an incredible economic payback makes NASA worth every penny and more. NASA helps private companies and encourages economic growth by doing most of the research and testing for private industry. NASA creates high quality products because of the harsh demands of space, this means that private companies don 't have to spend as much money on research and development and can just do what they do best-production (The American Space Program –Why Invest in It?). NASA employed about 15 times the number of workers as the largest employer in Connecticut, United Technologies Corporation. Although the largest 25 companies in Connecticut collectively employ about 178,152 people, NASA still employed about 412,700 employees in it’s golden age. That is about 2.3 times as many people working for NASA as all top 25 employers combined. Experts estimate that “for every dollar the U.S. spends on Research and Development in