Benefits from space program

These parachutes, now in use for civilian and military aircraft, can provide a safe landing for pilots and passengers in the event of engine failure, midair collision, pilot disorientation or incapacitation, unrecovered spin, extreme icing and fuel exhaustion.

To date, the parachute system is credited with saving more than lives. Designed to address the need to clean up the ground of the historic Launch Complex 34 at KSC that was polluted with chlorinated solvents used to clean Apollo rocket parts, the EZVI technology provides a cost-effective and efficient cleanup solution to underground pollution that poses a contamination threat to fresh water sources in the area. This technology has potential use for the cleanup of environmental contamination at thousands of Department of Energy, Department of Defense, NASA and private industry facilities throughout the country.

Beyond recognizing the value of these technologies, it is also inspiring to learn the story of the people behind the innovation. Consider the case of Dr. In a flash of insight, Ansari realized that the instrument being developed as part of the colloids experiment might be able to detect cataracts — possibly earlier than ever before. The device is now being used to assess the effectiveness of new, non-surgical therapies for early stages of cataract development.

The device also may have an unexpected return for NASA: It has been investigated as a possible medical tool for astronauts, who may develop cataracts as a side effect of the kind of radiation exposure that they might experience in long-duration spaceflight. Perhaps as interesting is the motivation that space provided to Ansari to pursue a career in science.

He says it traces entirely to a single moment: when he was 9 years old in Pakistan, and he saw the live, grainy television images of people walking for the first time on the moon. It also shows how the aforementioned strange connections can come about. Just how are the International Space Station and old artwork related? Well, atomic oxygen found hundreds of miles above Earth attacks and very gradually destroys materials used in satellites and spacecraft.

NASA Glenn Research Center engineers Bruce Banks and Sharon Miller realized that their atomic oxygen facility could be used in a positive, rather than destructive way: It could gradually remove unwanted material from surfaces without ever needing to touch or rub them. Their invention has been used to restore two 19th century paintings coated in soot from a church fire in Cleveland, Ohio; the technique also restored a vandalized Andy Warhol painting for the Pittsburgh Museum of Art.

Space exploration is a growth industry and gives good if long-term returns. None of it is spent in space. The cost works out to a penny or two for each taxpayer. The return to each of us is much higher. As a part of the general budget, NASA's portion is less than one percent of the total federal spending in the U. That's far, far less than military spending, infrastructure costs, and other expenses the government takes on.

It gets us many things in our daily lives that we never connected to space, from cellphone cameras to artificial limbs, cordless tools, memory foam, smoke detectors, and much more. For that sliver of money, NASA's "return on investment" is very good. That's based on the income from spinoff technologies, licensing, and other ways that NASA money is spent and invested. That's just in the U. Other countries engaged in space exploration very likely see good returns on their investments, as well as good jobs for trained workers.

In the future, as humans spread out to space , the investment in space exploration technologies such as new rockets and light sails will continue to spur jobs and growth on Earth. As always, the money spent to get "out there" will be spent right here on the planet. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads.

Create a personalised ads profile. Everyday benefits of space exploration Some examples of how space benefits Canadians and all of humanity. Topics Improving health care Experiments performed in space help us understand health problems on Earth. Protecting our planet and our environment Satellites provide data on climate change, measure pollution, and help protect our planet. Today China is launching more rockets than any other country. They were first to land on the lunar far side. Avoiding extinction is, of course, priceless.

This handheld device has reusable sensors instead of throw-away cartridges. Using optical fluorescence, it efficiently performs a whole host of tests on one drop of blood—perfect for use in space.

For a space program to serve national scientific, economic and security interests, we must learn to use what we find in space to create new capabilities, starting with the material and energy resources of the Moon. Learning to live in space using the resources found there will lead to unlimited expansion and growth of human civilization.

Realizing a future without limits is the ultimate benefit of the space program to all Americans. Visit her at www. A Passion for Space. Springer, Page xvi. Accessed