How to convince the public about a need for Nasa

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

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?

did you not read my post about the CCCP and sputnik?

 

[Netheralian]

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.

Yay America... Are you saying that ESA does nothing? Or the Russians? Or how about all the other national space agencies? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_agency

NASA may have the biggest single budget of any space agency (with the possible exception of the US military - but they aren't a space agency) but it doesn't mean nothing would be done without them. And if they didn't exist there is nothing to say that one of the other big agencies wouldn't step in to replace them.

 

[ahdkaw]

Bloody hell fire!

This thread is regarding NASA, not sure if you read the title of the thread. Of course ESA does stuff. Of course CCCP too. And let's not forget the Chinese while we're at it.

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

this is now a "which space agency is the best?" thread :lol:

 

[Netheralian]

Just to highlight your previous quote...

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.

We were merely stating that there would be plenty of satellites still without NASA. If you mean by "we", you are really saying the US, then that is also clearly wrong. Iridium is US, intelsat is US, GPS is US military, etc etc - none of these have anything to do with NASA.

 

[ahdkaw]

We were merely stating that there would be plenty of satellites still without NASA. If you mean by "we", you are really saying the US, then that is also clearly wrong. Iridium is US, intelsat is US, GPS is US military, etc etc - none of these have anything to do with NASA.

I don't disagree with you. But as far as I'm concerned NASA has done a hell of a lot of important work.

Yes, as I previously stated (back-peddled), NASA isn't the only one launching satellites.

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

they weren't the first either.... =P

 

[ahdkaw]

they weren't the first either.... =P

Was it the Ruskies?

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

yeah, they made the first satilite (sputnik) and got the first dog and the first human into space and back saftely, so in my book, they won

 

[Netheralian]

yeah, they made the first satilite (sputnik) and got the first dog and the first human into space and back saftely, so in my book, they won

Depends on what the competition was - the chinese were launching rockets long before anyone else...

 

[Netheralian]

I don't disagree with you. But as far as I'm concerned NASA has done a hell of a lot of important work.

Completely agree - NASA has arguable contributed far more than anyone else singularly to space science. They are only outdone in space budget by the US military...

 

[lightbulbsun88]

I hear this often a lot from people who are complaining about the underspending of education: "...we underspend on education, yet we're launching probes and satellites into space everyday. What's the point of that?"

I think a demonstration of the relevance of space research on everyday life is important for making the case.

 

[Pulsar]

Apart from satellites and the NASA spin-offs website mentioned by Netheralian, new applications are often found by chance, when a scientist has a Eureka moment and realizes that his research can be used for something completely unrelated. I quote an example from http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/spinoffs.html:

NASA researcher Dr. Rafat Ansari was working on experiments studying small particles suspended in liquids when he realized that his work could possibly help detect cataracts, the degenerative eye condition afflicting his father. Now the instrument is being adapted to identify other eye diseases, diabetes and possibly even Alzheimer's.

Full story: http://nctn.hq.nasa.gov/innovation/innovation101/4-advtech3.html

These 'aha' moments occur everywhere in science, when people see connections between different disciplines. Such unexpected advances are impossible to quantify, but their importance is vital for science as a whole.

 

[COMMUNIST FLISK]

the study of cathode rays (electron beams) gave us television!

 

[wilmracer]

I'm a huge fan of NASA, and I hope they stick around for a long time... but... I think we have a greater need now for private space industry. As a government agency NASA is understandably risk-averse, and when you are dealing with something as dangerous as space travel this causes a lot of issues. I would love to see NASA partner more with private companies like Vigin Galactic and Scaled Composits (and others). I don't anticipate space travel to be a revenue generating stream in the immediate future, but the first company to generate positive income from space travel and exploration will completely change the dynamic. Look at it like general aviation... we need large corporate airlines to safely move the masses and build the big airliners, but if I want to build an experimental aircraft in my garage and I'm willing to take the personal risk to fly it I can. Those smaller shops generate more innovation, and do it faster than NASA can.