Most famous space personalities signed letter to save shuttle /NASA spinoffs
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Griffin, NASA luminaries urge Obama to change space policy
Barack Obama, Michael Griffin — posted by Mark Matthews on April, 12 2010 6:02 PM
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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
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