Robert Heinlein once testified before Congress that a near-fatal neurological problem he had suffered had been treated with several technologies that existed soley because of the space program. CAT and telemetry were among them. Telemetry is obvious, CAT was developed for NDI of spacecraft parts.
My brother’s life was saved by CAT after an auto accident. He was outside the golden hour and should have been dead at 18. Today he lives a happy and productive life, and pays taxes.
And here’s the best part: The Apollo Program cost each American 5 cents per day. Meanwhile, we pay 28 cents per dollar spent on welfare in administration costs, and that’s if we assume that spending the other 72 percent is a good value...and we know it’s quite the opposite.
Senator Proxmire, go back to the grave, and take your dairy price supports with you.
Aircraft parts, too. Excellent example and one that I should have noted myself, given that I'm a pilot and have built a couple of experimental airplanes. You are absolutely correct. A lot of the medical imaging technology we use today, like ultrasound and CAT are directly attributable to technology that came from the space program in the 1960's.