How to convince the public about a need for Nasa

[JacobEvans]

I find it hard to explain to my friends why I think we need to have gov't programs like NASA, but it always boils down to me sounding like a moron. I am almost ready to just hand out Carl Sagan books to everyone I meet.

How should we do it?
Or should we do it at all?

 

[Aught3]

Teflon!

Either they get it or you have to convince them with teflon, velcro, and possible future discoveries.

 

[JacobEvans]

Why the fuck don't I think of these things!
This is why I love you!

 

[WolfAU]

Satalites wouldn't be possible without NASA, alot of our understanding of the nature and history of the Earth is based on Astronomy dependant on NASA work

Plus there's things like keeping track of asteroids and other extrernal threats... the questionable benefit of things like SETI, the preparation for what seems like an inevitable requirement for humanity to colonise other planets (room, resources, a contingency against man-made or natural disasters etc)

Plus as was mentioned, Teflon, alot of modern products like Fibre-glass are largely due to the demand for 'space age' materials...

But in the end this is irrelevent, humanity needs goals an ambitions and dreams for the same reason individuals need these things. They motivate us and inspire us, if humanity ever reaches the point where we've really researched everything worth researching (and the rest is just boring fine tuning) I think that would be a very sad time to live in.

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

Satalites wouldn't be possible without NASA

sputnik was the first im afraid, looks like we got satilites from the good old CCCP
(though if you want to be technical, both really since they both were able to independantly make a satilite)

 

[richi1173]

I find NASA's role as the main provider of spaceflight missions increasingly unimportant. Companies like Virgin Galactic are already on NASA's tail and in the near future will provide accessible and affordable space-freight and space-tourism. NASA seems increasingly unwilling to replace the space shuttle, with the Ares rockets being stuck in development hell for 2 years now.

However, that does not diminish NASA's role as the premier aerospace research organization in the world. As mentioned, important inventions have been made during NASA's experiments with space flight. They have also stepped up their efforts when it comes to propulsion research, which is key when it comes to future human space efforts. Hubble has been invaluable, and the discoveries made with that little telescope have been nothing more than innumerable.

NASA, as a research organization, has been really invaluable.

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Alien invasions, obviously.

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

Alien invasions, obviously.

we need space ships =D

 

[WolfAU]

"sputnik was the first im afraid, looks like we got satilites from the good old CCCP
(though if you want to be technical, both really since they both were able to independantly make a satilite)"

I'm sure both have launched plenty of satailites in their time... and I interpreted the question as 'what should I say to American's who question the value of space agencies like NASA' rather than NASA specifically.

Also without space agencies, sci-fi books, games and movies would suck!

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

space themes in sci fi were strong even before nasa were they not?

 

[ahdkaw]

Just tell them to hand over their cellphones, because without the space program, they won't work. And they can forget about GPS too.

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

I thought cell phones used ground based transmitters, or is that only for shot range calls?

 

[WolfAU]

Tmk cellphones use GPS to track which cell towers to communicate with, and some do use satilites to send/recieve signals.

True re sci-fi pre NASA, but they probably would be running low on new material around now.

 

[Netheralian]

Teflon wasn't a space/NASA spinoff. See the NASA spinoffs web site: http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/ for a more complete list. There is a publication released each year...

Shit - I used to know this stuff pretty well... Now i just have to make it up...

Additional arguments (not limited to NASA but space in general)
- return on investment (I would like to find a better link for this but I can't. I have in the past seen figures of up to 10x return on investment for a space agency - example of Galilleo http://www.euractiv.com/en/innovation/member-states-european-space-agency-agree-launch-galileo/article-116288 witha return on investement predicted of 4.6 and 140,000 jobs. Also ESA Technolgy transfer program: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Technology/SEMFPKWX3RF_0.html : 55 new spinoff companies in the last years)

- National pride (e.g. - moon landings, sputnik etc give you nice warm fuzzy feelings about your country)
- Earth Navigation (GPS - ok its military but anyway, Galilleo, various science missions)
- Earth science (understanding magnetic fields, polar ice thickness, winds, tracking oil slicks, fire management and co-ordination, etc)
- earth mapping and topography
- earth weather
- solar weather (prediction of solar storms affecting the earth and communication satellites)
- deep space stuff ( interplanetary, telescopes etc)
- tracking NEOs and other
- pure science (e.g. gravitational waves, CMB)
- because is fucking cool (most importantly I think - or is that a subset of everything above?)

Leaving strategic defence out as its not really NASA.

 

[Aught3]

Oh man, neither teflon nor velcro? NASA is useless, close it down :lol:

 

[ahdkaw]

I thought cell phones used ground based transmitters, or is that only for shot range calls?

Yeah, short range, local calls only. A lot of international calls on cellphones are routed through satellites.

 

[ahdkaw]

I thought cell phones used ground based transmitters, or is that only for shot range calls?

Yeah, short range, local calls only. A lot of international calls on cellphones are routed through satellites.

NOTE: I cannot find any evidence to back up this assertion, so I could very well be wrong.

EDIT: Not sure why my edit caused a reply... feel free to delete the one above this one, mods.

 

[Pulsar]

Yeah, short range, local calls only. A lot of international calls on cellphones are routed through satellites.

I think they use undersea lines, but I could be wrong too. Nevertheless, there are satellite phones, which are used for expeditions in remote areas, where cell phones have no reception.

 

[Netheralian]

NASA isn't involved in telephony anyway - its completely privatised so is some what irrelevant wrt public need for NASA.

Mobile operators like Irridium use satellites in LEO. There are a bunch of telecoms sats in Geosynchonous orbit aswell but I can't remember how they are used - a lot of it is for TV etc though.

 

[ahdkaw]

I agree that satellites are often privately owned and launched, but without NASA I seriously doubt that we would have any satellites at all now.

Plus where would I get my daily entertainment and education if there was no NASAtelevision channel at Youlube?