scientific advancement in america
history of nasa
Summary
This history.com article summarizes the history of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. NASA was established in 1958 by the Congress in order to coordinate the United States' activities in outer space. NASA has sent numerous manned and unmanned missions, satellites, telescopes, and other instruments that have gathered critical information about the solar system. The creation of this agency was a response to the U.S.S.R.'s launching of their first satellite, Sputnik I in 1957. This worried the United States for several reasons-- (1) perhaps this new technology would allow Soviets to launch nuclear weapons to the United States and (2) The United States felt embarrassed at the fact that Soviet scientific knowledge and technology surpassed the U.S. The creation of NASA as a response to the launch of the Sputnik I was the first act in the U.S.-Soviet space race, and ensured the country's commitment to this competition. On January 31, 1958, the U.S. launched Explorer I, which became the first U.S. satellite to successfully orbit Earth. The country's ambition was portrayed in President John F. Kennedy's speech where he declared that the United States should put a man on the moon. NASA's Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969, carrying Neil Armstrong, was responsible for the success of this mission. Since this landmark accomplishment, NASA has played an instrumental role in global astronomical research efforts. Such efforts include: assistance with the construction of the International Space Station (ISS) and research on Mars. However, it would be inaccurate to state that NASA as suffered no setbacks. Some of its tragic incidents include the disasters that were responsible for the deaths of the crews of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986 and the Columbia space shuttle in 2003. President George Bush, in 2004, declared that NASA should return to the moon in 2020 and establish a "human presence" that could serve as a base for future space missions to Mars and beyond.
Connection to the Thesis
This artifact connects to the thesis statement because it portrays the progression of science in the nation and the potential that our national effort has in space. It portrays the gradual expansion and progression of the technological frontier-- (1) orbiting a satellite around the earth [the 1950s], (2) landing a man on the moon [the 1960s], and (3) establishing a colony on the moon to encourage future exploration [the 21st century, current-day]. Scientists and engineers who share the curiosity and unquenched thirst to learn more about the cosmos and improve technology manage governmental agencies such as NASA, and devote hours on missions such as Kepler (to discover new planets) and Hubble (to capture photographs of deep space) in order to expand their horizons and the metaphorical frontier. This artifact supports the statement that the frontier is essentially infinite, as each new accomplishment and milestone of the metaphorical frontier is faced with a new, daunting, and enticing challenge that society must embark on. This artifact also supports the statement that the curiosity of Americans played (and continues to play) a major role in the progression of the frontier, as innovative technologies that are utilized to bring men to the moon and capture deep space images require an abundance of creativity, innovation, and out-side-the-box thinking-- characteristics that are abundant in American society.
This history.com article summarizes the history of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. NASA was established in 1958 by the Congress in order to coordinate the United States' activities in outer space. NASA has sent numerous manned and unmanned missions, satellites, telescopes, and other instruments that have gathered critical information about the solar system. The creation of this agency was a response to the U.S.S.R.'s launching of their first satellite, Sputnik I in 1957. This worried the United States for several reasons-- (1) perhaps this new technology would allow Soviets to launch nuclear weapons to the United States and (2) The United States felt embarrassed at the fact that Soviet scientific knowledge and technology surpassed the U.S. The creation of NASA as a response to the launch of the Sputnik I was the first act in the U.S.-Soviet space race, and ensured the country's commitment to this competition. On January 31, 1958, the U.S. launched Explorer I, which became the first U.S. satellite to successfully orbit Earth. The country's ambition was portrayed in President John F. Kennedy's speech where he declared that the United States should put a man on the moon. NASA's Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969, carrying Neil Armstrong, was responsible for the success of this mission. Since this landmark accomplishment, NASA has played an instrumental role in global astronomical research efforts. Such efforts include: assistance with the construction of the International Space Station (ISS) and research on Mars. However, it would be inaccurate to state that NASA as suffered no setbacks. Some of its tragic incidents include the disasters that were responsible for the deaths of the crews of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986 and the Columbia space shuttle in 2003. President George Bush, in 2004, declared that NASA should return to the moon in 2020 and establish a "human presence" that could serve as a base for future space missions to Mars and beyond.
Connection to the Thesis
This artifact connects to the thesis statement because it portrays the progression of science in the nation and the potential that our national effort has in space. It portrays the gradual expansion and progression of the technological frontier-- (1) orbiting a satellite around the earth [the 1950s], (2) landing a man on the moon [the 1960s], and (3) establishing a colony on the moon to encourage future exploration [the 21st century, current-day]. Scientists and engineers who share the curiosity and unquenched thirst to learn more about the cosmos and improve technology manage governmental agencies such as NASA, and devote hours on missions such as Kepler (to discover new planets) and Hubble (to capture photographs of deep space) in order to expand their horizons and the metaphorical frontier. This artifact supports the statement that the frontier is essentially infinite, as each new accomplishment and milestone of the metaphorical frontier is faced with a new, daunting, and enticing challenge that society must embark on. This artifact also supports the statement that the curiosity of Americans played (and continues to play) a major role in the progression of the frontier, as innovative technologies that are utilized to bring men to the moon and capture deep space images require an abundance of creativity, innovation, and out-side-the-box thinking-- characteristics that are abundant in American society.
"Do you really thing NASA's newest space telescopes would have been conceived had it not been for our scientists' personal desire to see deeper in space? NASA makes astonishing breakthroughs for one reason only-- our employees want to understand the cosmos more deeply. They are a community of dreamers who grew up staring at starry skies and asking themselves what was up there. Passion and curiosity are what drive NASA's innovation, not the promise of military superiority."
~Dan Brown, Deception Point (pg. 324)
" ... I'm an enormous fan of NASA. I have always been. I was a child of the space race--- Sputnik, John Glenn, Apollo 11-- and I have never hesitated to express my feelings of administration and national pride for our space program. In my mind, the men and women of NASA are history's modern pioneers. They attempt the impossible, accept failure, then go back to the drawing board while the rest of us stand back and criticize."
~Dan Brown, Deception Point (pg. 36)