The Benefits of Space Exploration

Space: the final frontier, is an aging phrase that most are familiar with. Space exploration dates back to the tail end of World War 2, and traverses into the 1950's as the United States and the Soviet Union raced to develop technology. The stakes grew even larger in 1969 when the U.S. sent the first successful manned mission to the moon. Since the 60's, NASA has contributed not only to colossal space discoveries, but to the advancement of technology we use every day as well.Our objective is to examine the large number of technological advancements space exploration has given birth to, and to demonstrate how these creations greatly out weight the costs. For example, the creation of the International Space Station has helped with communication, geographic information systems, and atmospheric data collection. NASA has had socio-economic impacts as well, including investments in new technologies and the next generation of scientists. The creation of new materials needed for space missions have been quite useful in the public, private sector, and in our everyday lives. These examples are but a small percentage of the vast number of advancements space exploration has led to. For this project we are studying sources and papers published directly by NASA.gov to assess how NASA has enhanced our society. With the continuation of space exploration, the number of positive impacts on our society will amplify as we find new problems to solve.