Space experts letter to BHO

Space experts letter to Obama Most famous space personalities signed letter to save shuttle /NASA spinoffs « Astronauts take third, final spacewalk to finish installing space station storage tank | Main | Four Florida groups lean on Obama before visit » Griffin, NASA luminaries urge Obama to change space policy Barack Obama, Michael Griffin — posted by Mark Matthews on April, 12 2010 6:02 PM Discuss This: Comments(25) | Add to del.icio.us | Digg it Ed – An open letter to President Barack Obama, from former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, legendary flight director Gene Kranz and several NASA astronauts, asking him to reconsider a new space policy that cancels NASA’s Constellation moon rocket program. Dear President Obama; America is faced with the near-simultaneous ending of the Shuttle program and your recent budget proposal to cancel the Constellation program. This is wrong for our country for many reasons. We are very concerned about America ceding its hard earned global leadership in space technology to other nations. We are stunned that, in a time of economic crisis, this move will force as many as 30,000 irreplaceable engineers and managers out of the space industry. We see our human exploration program, one of the most inspirational tools to promote science, technology, engineering and math to our young people, being reduced to mediocrity. NASA’s human space program has inspired awe and wonder in all ages by pursuing the American tradition of exploring the unknown. We strongly urge you to drop this misguided proposal that forces NASA out of human space operations for the foreseeable future. For those of us who have accepted the risk and dedicated a portion of our lives to the exploration of outer space, this is a terrible decision.  Our experiences were made possible by the efforts of thousands who were similarly dedicated to the exploration of the last frontier. Success in this great national adventure was predicated on well defined programs, an unwavering national commitment, and an ambitious challenge. We understand there are risks involved in human space flight, but they are calculated risks for worthy goals, whose benefits greatly exceed those risks. America’s greatness lies in her people: she will always have men and women willing to ride rockets into the heavens.  America’s challenge is to match their bravery and acceptance of risk with specific plans and goals worthy of their commitment.   NASA must continue at the frontiers of human space exploration in order to develop the technology and set the standards of excellence that will enable commercial space ventures to eventually succeed. Canceling NASA’s human space operations, after 50 years of unparalleled achievement , makes that objective impossible. One of the greatest fears of any generation is not leaving things better for the young people of the next.  In the area of human space flight, we are about to realize that fear; your NASA budget proposal raises more questions about our future in space than it answers. Too many men and women have worked too hard and sacrificed too much to achieve America’s preeminence in space, only to see that effort needlessly thrown away. We urge you to demonstrate the vision and determination necessary to keep our nation at the forefront of human space exploration with ambitious goals and the proper resources to see them through. This is not the time to abandon the promise of the space frontier for a lack of will or an unwillingness to pay the price. Sincerely, in hopes of continued American leadership in human space exploration. Walter Cunningham Apollo 7 Chris Kraft Past Director JSC Jack Lousma Skylab 3, STS 3 Vance Brand Apollo-Soyuz, STS-5, STS-41B, STS-35 Bob Crippen STS-1, STS-7, STS-41C, STS-41G Past Director KSC Michael D. Griffin Past NASA Administrator Ed Gibson Skylab 4 Jim Kennedy Past Director KSC Alan Bean Apollo 12, Skylab 3 Alfred M. Worden Apollo 15 Scott Carpenter Mercury Astronaut Glynn Lunney Gemini-Apollo Flight Director Jim McDivitt Gemini 4, Apollo 9 Apollo Spacecraft Program Manager Gene Kranz Gemini-Apollo Flight Director Past Director NASA Mission Ops. Joe Kerwin Skylab 2 Fred Haise Apollo 13, Shuttle Landing Tests Gerald Carr Skylab 4 Jim Lovell Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, Apollo 13 Jake Garn STS-51D, U.S. Senator Charlie Duke Apollo 16 Bruce McCandless STS-41B, STS-31 Frank Borman Gemini 7, Apollo 8 Paul Weitz Skylab 2, STS-6 George Mueller Past Associate Administrator For Manned Space Flight Harrison Schmitt Apollo 17, U.S. Senator Gene Cernan Gemini 9, Apollo 10, Apollo 17 Dick Gordon Gemini 11, Apollo 12 NASA Spinoffs with Practical Applications Under the Space Act of 1958, NASA has had a mandate to share all the information it has gained with the public. Here are a few of the practical applications that have resulted from technologies and information learned by space scientists: CAT scans … See More MRIs Kidney dialysis machines Heart defibrillator technology Remote robotic surgery Artificial heart pump technology Physical therapy machines Positron emission tomography Microwave receivers used in scans for breast cancer Cardiac angiography Monitoring neutron activity in the brain Cleaning techniques for hospital operating rooms Portable x-ray technology for neonatal offices and 3rd world countries Freeze-dried food Water purification filters ATM technology Pay at the Pump satellite technology Athletic shoe manufacturing technique Insulation barriers for autos Image-processing software for crash-testing automobiles Holographic testing of communications antennas Low-noise receivers Cordless tools A computer language used by businesses such as car repair shops, Kodak, hand-held computers, express mail Aerial reconnaissance and Earth resources mapping Airport baggage scanners Distinction between natural space objects and satellites/warheads/rockets for defense Satellite monitors for nuclear detonations Hazardous gas sensors Precision navigation Clock synchronization Ballistic missile guidance Secure communications Study of ozone depletion Climate change studies Monitoring of Earth-based storms such as hurricanes Solar collectors Fusion reactors Space-age fabrics for divers, swimmers, hazardous material workers, and others Teflon-coated fiberglass for roofing material Lightweight breathing system used by firefighters Atomic oxygen facility for removing unwanted material from 19th century paintings FDA-adopted food safety program that has reduced salmonella cases by a factor of 2 Multispectral imaging methods used to read ancient Roman manuscripts buried by Mt. Vesuvius Most people do not give NASA or space research high priority when they consider what the government needs to fund. However, as seen here, NASA has provided much more than just information about the universe at large, but practical applications that have saved lives, improved the quality of life, and provided high-paying jobs in the private sector. The spinoffs listed here are just a part of what NASA and others have accomplished by sharing information and technology. Read more at Suite101: Practical Applications of Space Technology: Discoveries and Developments by NASA and Their Benefit to Society http://space- exploration.suite101.com/article.cfm/practical_applications_of_space_technology#ixzz0eES3w04K Reply Posted by: rjj | Monday, April 12, 2010 at 8:30 PM http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html Out of a $2.4 trillion budget, less than 0.8% is spent on the entire space program! That’s less than 1 penny for every dollar spent. The average American spends more of their budget on their cable bill, eating out or entertainment than this yet the benefits of space flight are remarkable. It has been conservatively estimated by U.S. space experts that for every dollar the U.S. spends on R and D in the space program, it receives $7 back in the form of corporate and personal income taxes from increased jobs and economic growth. Besides the obvious jobs created in the aerospace industry, thousands more are created by many other companies applying NASA technology in nonspace related areas that affect us daily. One cannot even begin to place a dollar value on the lives saved and improved lifestyles of the less fortunate. Space technology benefits everyone and a rising technological tide does raise all boats. Reply Posted by: rjj | Monday, April 12, 2010 at 8:36 PM The plasma arc furnace, originally developed to test reentry heat shields, will probably be one of the most important spin-offs from our space program. Plasma arc furnaces can convert biowaste into its basic molecular components; and the resulting syngas can be used to produce energy or be converted into gasoline, diesel l, and jet fuel. This NASA spin-off will probably eventually make the US and the rest of the world totally independent of fossil fuels. . . . at 9:51 AM @ aisle14 and there are no immediate plans for procuring an alternative. A stand-down of 5 to 10 years seems inevitable at this point. Reply Posted by: Ben the Space Brit | Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 10:11 AM To follow up Bens’ last post: Aisle 14, the latest issue of “Popular Mechanics” has a very informative article on the X-37 you may want to read. Reply Posted by: Lester | Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 11:40 AM strong. Don’t quench them because a few people won’t get to do the same job they’ve been doing since 1985. Light some more. 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