Most of the technology we enjoy and take for granted has been developed largely as a result of man’s quest to reach into space. This cross-over economic expansion has fueled millions of jobs throughout the world. McRomney and Santorum have no vision but to manage our decline. We need leaders with vision and guts = Newt.
“Most of the technology we enjoy and take for granted has been developed largely as a result of man’s quest to reach into space.”
This is complete nonsense. Actually, it is the other way around: a healthy consumer economy is what allows the space program to run. Radio was not a result of the space program, but was developed mostly largely for consumer use. It spilled over then into military and space applications.
The number of actual inventions coming out of the space program is very small. I seem to remember that Tang® was developed for astronauts. Big deal! (Is Tang® even still on the market?)
Much of the space program is useless, to the point that they are left looking for users for things like the space station, and any high-school student can design an “experiment” to be run in weightless conditions. It is because it is really mostly unnecessary.
All I ask is to be realistic: manned space exploration is the most expensive and dangerous way to go, and yields poor results. Automated robots are better. Example: the moon program, which was cut short once the novelty wore off, but before they really got down to doing serious research.
Probably the most useful thing to come out of the space program is GPS and other communications technology. Note that people in space were not really necessary for all that! Nor would it work better from the moon!
The whole space program is racked with politics. Remember when we gave an aged senator from Ohio a ride to the space station? It was a political payoff, with the feeble excuse that inclusiveness required that an old guy be sent to the space station — for what? Next they will want handicapped parking in orbit?
We have real problems on earth, including defending ourselves from real enemies. Fancy space tricks will not impress our enemies. They are not at all bothered to watch us waste resources.
The space program needs reform, and a reasonable aim, based on a chance to get real knowledge. It is not a geek substitute for sports: it should be a serious business.
Another issue is that the space program is propaganda for socialism. It parades as something the government has done. Of course, the government provided the tax money (from the public), and gave rough directions, but all this could have been done privately, were there any demand. Statists attach the allure of exploration to the whole space enterprise, and then announce that if we can get to the moon, we can [fill in the blank] do whatever the latest government initiative is. Hubert Humphrey even said that since we had proven our ability in getting to the moon, we have the ability to banish disease and death from the earth. This shows how extreme is the fantasy of such thinking.