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Running head: SPACE PROGRAMS 1

Space Programs

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Space Programs

Ongoing advancements in technology and multiple logistical advantages have

encouraged the expansion of space programs by the developed countries with many others

accelerating the development of space related technologies. Some of the countries that have

broadened their space exploration programs include the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, Canada, and

India (Burleson, 2005). The U.S., China, and Russia are the only countries on earth that have

managed to put people within space independently. China and India have signaled intentions of

doing the same in the near future. Many policy critics have argued against the expansion of the

space programs on the grounds of the large budgetary allocations and presumed

inappropriateness of the missions. In the view of many critics, the money used on the programs

should be channeled to causes such as poverty eradication and the provision of essential services

such as education, healthcare, counterterrorism, and other matters of immediate concern.

Growing opposition against space programs is largely based on the fact that planet earth

continues to face significant challenges and risks, which should be addressed with money from

the various space programs. Moreover, the critics contend that the research input that is often

directed towards space programs should be channeled towards programs that aim towards the

improvement of the conditions that continue to afflict the modern world (Harvey, Smid & Pirard,

2010). Some of the pressing problems that continue to attract the attention of world leaders

include global warming, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, global terrorism, cancer, and

underdevelopment in many parts of the world (Callmers, 2008). In the opinion of some critics,

the budgetary allocation for space programs should be redirected to such problems, which

threaten the survival of whole societies across the globe. Such perspectives are usually supported

by opposition groups, environmental lobbyists and activists of different causes.

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Some of the space programs that would have been invented are those whose import has a

direct positive bearing on the survival of the planet earth. Critics consider many of the existing

inventions as grossly superficial and wholly inappropriate, particularly when considered in the

background of the emergent challenges of the 21

Century (Harvey, Smid & Pirard, 2010).

Among the inventions that should have been developed include those that provide definite

specifics about the gravity of global warming. Others should offer credible predictions about the

weather, particularly on matters related to early warning systems. The common impression is

that the available predictions and early warning systems are not as efficient and timely as they

should be. As such, poor disaster responses are often attributed to the inability of the existing

technology to provide proper information that would lead to the limiting of the damage when the

inevitable unfolds. Therefore, space programs should be channeled towards providing solutions

on matters related to natural calamities.

Moreover, there is the general feeling that space programs have not helped in the

resolution of airline disasters. Critics believe that significant breakthroughs would have been

achieved had the space engineers devoted sufficient efforts to the investigation of disaster,

particularly those related to missing air planes such as Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Moreover, the technologies used in the space shuttles could be borrowed and used in the

improvement of the mechanical details of jets in order to enhance their safety and performance.

Space shuttles are made with surpassing levels of sophistication, which is aimed at enhancing

their safety standards (Callmers, 2008). The same level of sophistication could be applied on air

jets to enhance their levels of safety. Other critics have argued for the channeling of space

program resources towards the development of infrastructure in the developing world. Those

who favor this line of thought are inclined to the view that infrastructural development in third

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world countries and other underdeveloped parts of the world requires high prioritization in order

to improve lives and end the migratory patterns that add pressure to the developed world.

Despite the significant opposition to space programs, there is a widespread

acknowledgment of the fact that space program technologies have led to important inventions,

which would have been impossible without such initiatives. For example, mapping the world

would have been impossible without the advances in technology brought into being the space

program technologies. The world’s most accurate topographical map was made possible by

space photography (Johnson, 2002). Moreover, the same technology used in the making of space

suits for astronauts is currently used for the making of ultraviolet protection suits for people with

high levels of vulnerability to UV rays, or those under intense exposure of the same. Certainly,

the invention would not have been easy without the reliance on the technological advances of the

space programs.

Thermal protection blankets, robotic software, and composite materials are some of the

important inventions that derive from space program technologies. Thermal protection blankets

are regularly applied in conditions of extreme heat, whereas robotic software help in enhancing

the efficiency of processes in assembly plants and other areas that require enhanced efficiency of

processes (Johnson, 2002). In this regard, the technologies derived from space programs have

far-reaching positive impacts in the areas of technology and other crucial applications that foster

the efficiency of processes in various fields of human interest. Future technological advances

may rely significantly on the developments in the field of space programs to achieve certain

objectives with remarkable precision and efficiency. The development of science and technology

in the developing world may rely on space programs to achieve their purposes. Apart from

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enhancing the efficiency of processes, these technologies may prove less costly than the

conventional approaches.

Countries need to invest in space programs if they hope to benefit from the resources that

may be found on other planets. Explorations in outer space have led to the discovery of various

secrets, which have often broadened the reach of scientific knowledge. Credible speculations

suggest that the unexplored planets could hold resources that might be used for the development

of various fields such as energy, medicine, and food production (Callmers, 2008). Furthermore,

space exploration programs have created employment opportunities in many countries. The

opportunities are vast and growing given the declared interest among many countries to widen

their programs in the coming years.

Ultimately, space programs hold a great promise for world development in a variety of

spheres. The reasons that have been suggested for the dissolution of the space programs are

generally weaker than the sentiments of support. Apart from exploring the wealth of knowledge

and resources that lie in the outer space, these programs have a significant positive impact in

various aspects of human life because of their applied technologies. Scientific developments in

any field are usually interrelated and work in ways that enhance the development of knowledge,

society, and life in its entirety. On these grounds, space programs should be sustained for short

term and long term benefits.

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References

Burleson, D. (2005). Space programs outside the United States: All exploration and research

efforts, country by country. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.

Callmers, W. N. (2008). Space policy and exploration. New York: Nova Science Publishers.

Harvey, B., Smid, H. H. F., & Pirard, T. (2010). Emerging Space Powers: The New Space

Programs of Asia, the Middle East, and South America. New York, NY: Praxis.

Johnson, S. B. (2002). The secret of Apollo: Systems management in American and European

space programs. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

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