The Practical Values of Space Exploration, Report by the Committee on Science and Astronautics

About this eBook

Author

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Astronautics.

Title

The Practical Values of Space Exploration Report of the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, Eighty-Sixth Congress, Second Session

Credits

Produced by Audrey Longhurst, Janet Blenkinship and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net

Language

English

LoC Class

TL: Technology: Motor vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics

Subject

Astronautics and civilization

Category

Text

eBook-No.

19911

Project Gutenberg

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19911

Release Date

November 24, 2006

Copyright

Public domain in the USA.

Contents

1. 1.THE PRACTICAL VALUES OF SPACE EXPLORATION
2. 2.H. Res. 133 — [Serial I] — COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS — LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL — LETTER OF SUBMITTAL
3. 3.CONTENTS — THE PRACTICAL VALUES OF SPACE EXPLORATION — REPORT
4. 4.THE PRACTICAL VALUES OF SPACE EXPLORATION
5. 5.Introduction — Figure 1.—A single shot of the 8-barreled Saturn of the future will cost millions of dollars, maybe tens of millions. What makes it worthwhile for the taxpayer?
6. 6.I. The Unseen Values — SOME EXAMPLES OF THE UNEXPECTED — THE ULTIMATE VALUES — Figure 2.—In the years immediately ahead, the orbiting observatory or the manned satellite will uncover crucial information about the nature of the universe. — STEERING A MIDDLE ROAD — THE TIME FOR SPACE — Figure 3.—The versatile Atlas can be used either for launching man into space or to carry a nuclear warhead as far as 9,000 miles.
7. 7.II. National Security Values — THE MILITARY USES — OUR POSITION IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY — Figure 4.—Symbolic of the American effort in space is this Thor-Able rocket, shown here launching the Tiros weather satellite into a near-perfect orbit. This same vehicle, which launched the record-breaking 23 million-mile communication probe—Pioneer V—has contributed enormously to U.S. prestige abroad. — SPACE AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR WAR — Figure 5.—Today's assembly lines for automobiles and aircraft are being supplemented by the growing astronautics industry, here shown turning out capsules for manned space flight.
8. 8.III. The Economic Values — U.S. EXPENDITURES ON SPACE — THE SPREAD OF ECONOMIC BENEFITS — Figure 6.—Booster engines of tomorrow, such as this mockup of the 1,500,000 pound thrust single engine, will place broad requirements on men and materials. — CREATION OF NEW INDUSTRIES — Figure 7.—The possible power source for space ships of the future, the ion jet, has significant counterpart uses for the commercial world. — Figure 8.—The needs of tomorrow's spacemen will lead to marked advances in human engineering and psychology. — ECONOMIC ALLIANCES — PRIVATE ENTERPRISE IN SPACE — Figure 9.—The electric and electronic needs of the space program are requiring more and more skilled labor. — JOBS — AUTOMATION AND DISARMAMENT — Figure 10.—A host of new materials, skills, and engineering techniques are bound up in the construction of rocket engines such as this first stage booster.
9. 9.IV. Values for Everyday Living — TECHNOLOGICAL BENEFITS — Figure 11.—Vital information about the forces which cause weather can be learned from meteorological satellites such as these. Even a slight increase in the accuracy of weather prediction will be worth millions of dollars annually. — FOOD AND AGRICULTURE — COMMUNICATIONS — WEATHER PREDICTION AND MODIFICATION — Figure 12.—Storm center over Nebraska photographed by the first U.S. weather satellite, Tiros, on April 1, 1960. The extent of the picture can be seen from the accompanying weather map. — HEALTH BENEFITS — Figure 13.—Biological reactions uncovered in space medicine studies, such as this centrifuge experiment, may lead to important health discoveries. — EDUCATION BENEFITS — Figure 14.—Exploration within the solar system means a wealth of new knowledge which could lead to learning the secrets of life.
10. 10.V. Long-Range Values — TROUBLE SPOTS — LIMITATIONS ON SPACE RESEARCH — Figure 15.—Need for international cooperation in the U.S. space program is illustrated by this map showing the areas from which help must be procured for projects already planned or underway. — FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LIFE — PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL VALUES — Figure 16.—Space vehicles of the future may look like this artist's drawing of an electrical propulsion craft. The nuclear reactor is located at the extreme left, followed by a neutron shield, heat exchanger, gamma-ray shield and propellant. The center tank houses turbogenerating equipment. Excessive heat is dissipated in the large radiator. At the extreme right are two crew cabins, landing vehicle and a ring-shaped accelerator. — MATURING OF THE RACE — FOOTNOTES:

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