SPACE SCIENCE HAS BEEN A GOOD INVESTMENT (8-2003)

After several months of investigation NASA engineers are now 
confident that the cause of the Columbia space shuttle disaster 
was a 1-1/2-pound chunk of foam insulation that broke loose from 
the external fuel tank and struck Columbia’s wing at great 
velocity. 

Speculation has centered on the errant piece of foam from the day 
the shuttle broke up during re-entry, but engineers originally 
dismissed the idea that the foam insulation could have caused so 
much damage.

Just as in the days and weeks leading up to the Sept. 11 terrorist 
strike during which time FBI agents had information on some of the 
terrorists that went unshared within the bureau, insufficient 
communication among engineers at NASA before and after the 
Columbia launch may have stymied any hope for prevention or 
rescue. It has become a classic case of having perfect 
bureaucratic 20/20 hindsight.

Nevertheless, with the cause identified and efforts being made to 
correct the problem, NASA is hoping to get the shuttle program 
going again in a few months. And that’s just fine with at least 
two out of three Americans.

According to a poll conducted recently by the Associated Press, 
two-thirds of Americans favor getting the shuttles flying again. A 
somewhat lower percentage, though still a majority, favor allowing 
civilians to fly aboard the shuttle.

And it is encouraging to know that nearly three out of four of 
those surveyed believe that the space program is a positive 
investment. Even after two fiery space shuttle disasters, public 
support for the space program in general, and for the shuttle 
program in particular, continues to be very high.

More people than not, though not quite a majority, would like to 
see the U.S. expand its manned space program to include a mission 
to Mars. Nearly half of those questioned support a Mars mission, 
while only 42 percent did not favor such a mission.

Although it is encouraging to know that a solid majority of the 
public supports the manned space program, it is unfortunate that 
NASA funding is such as small percentage of the national budget. 
The space program has historically been one of the best 
investments the government has funded. The return on that 
investment has been phenomenal.

Not only do aerospace and related fields employ more than 800,000 
workers world-wide, space exploration has become a tremendous part 
of the overall economy. In fact, it is somewhat difficult to 
separate goods and services that have some connection to the space 
program from those that do not.

For example, thousands of spin-off products have resulted from the 
application of space-derived technology in such fields as human 
resource development, environmental monitoring, natural resource 
management, public health, medicine, public safety, 
telecommunications, computers, information technology, industrial 
productivity, manufacturing technology, and transportation.

A relatively small percentage of those surveyed, one in five, see 
no value in the space program at all. And a few do not even 
believe anyone has ever gone into space. It’s hopeless to shine a 
light for those who refuse to see, since that kind of attitude is 
so difficult to understand. But I still find it necessary to try.

I could fill a book with all of the benefits and spin-offs of the 
space program and allied technologies. A very short list might 
include products such as modern sewage treatment systems, digital 
cameras, fire-fighting systems, night-vision cameras, car airbags, 
anti-lock braking systems, new pharmaceuticals, portable X-ray 
equipment, patient monitoring systems, light-weight structures for 
construction, digital watches, wireless technology, food 
preservation techniques, communications satellites, Velcro 
fasteners, art preservation technologies, industrial control 
systems, noise reduction equipment, and of course, Tang. The list 
is almost endless.

But it is comforting to know that only a relatively tiny 
percentage of Americans cannot see the value in our space program. 
Still, with such a large majority of people understanding that we 
reap more than we sow from the space program, it is a pity that 
Congress and the president don’t shell out more money for it.

With better funding, not only would we receive more rewards from 
the space program, and more spin-offs for the home and business, 
but perhaps NASA would also find it less compelling to cut corners 
on safety issues, making it less likely that a shuttle disaster 
will happen again.