Recognizing Achievements of the space program

The recent event of the last landing of the space shuttle has brought about the need to reflect on the space program. Some reports lead you to believe the space program covered the span of thirty years, while in actuality it began in 1958. The first step toward a space program for our country was the creation of the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This action was a response to the Soviet Union’s launch of the first artificial satellite called sputnik. Even with this action it was not the initial step toward a space program as the organization had its beginning through the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics. From the early years of NASA to what the space program has become has been a journey of much learning.

The goal established by President Kennedy of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade of the 60’s placed us on a path where no one could phantom what the process would involve. There were many stages of getting man into space, which culminated in having the first men walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. It was the realization of accomplishing a goal established for our country nearly ten years earlier. It is an example of the fact that when we establish a goal such as this, we put the required effort into reaching that goal. There is nothing we cannot achieve either as a country or as individuals if the proper resources are allocated.

All the benefits we realized in conjunction with the space program cannot be covered in an article of this type, but many of the significant ones will be covered. It is important that the public realize the benefits and knowledge that our country and the world have acquired as a result of the space program. The discussions and information presented will not necessarily be in chronological order but the knowledge we gained is an important part of who we are as a country. The landing of the last space shuttle will have an impact on the lives of those who dedicated themselves to providing the resources to get the individuals we send into space home safely. This event will also mean the loss of thousands of jobs, not only affecting individuals, but the towns and businesses which have been an integral part of the space program. As you read the accomplishments, we must consider whether this program should continue and not be cut short. The achievements discussed below cannot be denied. Many individuals may not realize how the space program has impacted our economy and the impact it would have if it were discontinued in its present state. Some say the space program is not dead and that some efforts will continue. What these efforts are and their extent will be addressed in another article.

Accomplishing the feat of putting a man on the moon was no easy task. To begin, the needs of the space program required the development of new technology with new capabilities to help the program achieve the individual missions through the years. One of the important points to make is that we are not the only planet in the solar system, and with man’s curiosity we wanted to know if there was any possibility of life having existed or existing on any of the other planets. The Viking mission to Mars was aimed at discovering if life ever existed on Mars. While the Information received from soil examined did not necessarily determine whether life ever existed, it plays a part in how it will be determined on other planets as they are explored.

Our first satellite was Explorer 1 launched on January 31, 1958 and was designed to measure the radiation environment in Earth Orbit. Radiation belts were confirmed with the launching of a second satellite launched two months later and became known as the Van Allen Belts in honor of their discoverer. Another program called Galileo involved a journey to Jupiter. The mission changed the way we look at our solar system in that it was the first spacecraft to fly past an asteroid and the first to discover a moon of an asteroid.

The first manned spaceflight program was Project Mercury. The program spanned 4 2/3 years which saw more than 2,000,000 individuals combine their efforts from government and the aerospace industry to make the program a success. The skills, initiative and experience became a national effort with respect to the space program. The main objectives of the Mercury program were to place a manned spacecraft in orbital flight around the earth, investigate man’s performance capabilities and his ability to function in the environment of space and to recover the man and spacecraft safely.

The first hundred U.S. human space flights included the programs of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apolo-Soyuz Test Project and the Space shuttle. The Apollo program was one which lasted over four years and involved astronauts who tested new spacecraft and journeyed to uncharted destinations. This involved men from Earth leaving our planet and journeying to the moon. The Gemini program bridged the gap between the Mercury Program and Apollo. From this program valuable lessons were learned about living and working in space and helped pave the way for the first trips to the moon.

The last element of our space program involves the International Space Station. It is a unique example of cooperation between countries. There have been a total of over 190 individuals who have visited the space station from eight countries. The tenth anniversary of the Space Station occurred on November 2, 2010. During these years there were 103 launches to the space station including 67 from Russia, 34 space shuttles and one European and one Japanese vehicle. A total of 150 spacewalks were conducted in support of assembling the station, totaling 944 hours.

This is only a glimpse of what the space program has accomplished during its tenure. We have learned much, not only about other planets, but also about our own, in the missions that have taken place to date. More detailed information can be found about all activities of the space program and the missions/objectives on the NASA.gov website. It is not completely known what our space program will look like in the future given the financial situation we are facing as a country. We must remember that we are not the only planet in the universe, and we can learn much if the space program were to continue. We must also consider the chances our astronauts have taken with their lives in being a part of this program. If it were to be discontinued or at least be scaled back, would their efforts be in vain?

The missions that have taken place required innovative technology to be developed. Over the course of our space program there has been enormous advancements in technology which can be seen everywhere. It is no coincidence that much of these technological advancements have occurred within the period of time our space missions have occurred. Many of us take for granted the technology we have today. I wonder if the advancements that have occurred over the life of the space program would have been accomplished were it not for the space program. The space program and the goal of putting a man on the Moon by the end of the decade of the 60’s forced us to develop the technology the space program would need to accomplish this goal.