It's not just the end of an era, it's the end of so much inspiration and the meaning of American Made. I am so sad and disturbed that the USA space program has come to an end. I'd rather scrap the wars we're spending so much of our tax dollars on and killing so many young men and women than to end the space program.
So many innovations have occurred, things that have changed our lives and the way we live because of the space program. Our space endeavors inspired us, gave us reason to hope that one day all nations would work together for common good and led us to wonder about the universe and our place in it. The program gave us real pride in the words, Made In America.
Who will keep the satellites repaired and working? Who will inspire us to look into the stars and make us believe that maybe some day we could go out there?
(This list was taken from the news section of Googled. The address/tag for it are posted at the end of the list in case you want to look it up.)
* CAT scans
* MRIs
* Kidney dialysis machines
* Heart defibrillator technology
* Remote robotic surgery
* Artificial heart pump technology
* Physical therapy machines
* Positron emission tomography
* Microwave receivers used in scans for breast cancer
* Cardiac angiography
* Monitoring neutron activity in the brain
* Cleaning techniques for hospital operating rooms
* Portable x-ray technology for neonatal offices and 3rd world countries
* Freeze-dried food
* Water purification filters
* ATM technology
* Pay at the Pump satellite technology
* Athletic shoe manufacturing technique
* Insulation barriers for autos
* Image-processing software for crash-testing automobiles
* Holographic testing of communications antennas
* Low-noise receivers
* Cordless tools
* A computer language used by businesses such as car repair shops, Kodak, hand-held computers, express mail
* Aerial reconnaissance and Earth resources mapping
* Airport baggage scanners
* Distinction between natural space objects and satellites/warheads/rockets for defense
* Satellite monitors for nuclear detonations
* Hazardous gas sensors
* Precision navigation
* Clock synchronization
* Ballistic missile guidance
* Secure communications
* Study of ozone depletion
* Climate change studies
* Monitoring of Earth-based storms such as hurricanes
* Solar collectors
* Fusion reactors
* Space-age fabrics for divers, swimmers, hazardous material workers, and others
* Teflon-coated fiberglass for roofing material
* Lightweight breathing system used by firefighters
* Atomic oxygen facility for removing unwanted material from 19th century paintings
* FDA-adopted food safety program that has reduced salmonella cases by a factor of 2
* Multispectral imaging methods used to read ancient Roman manuscripts buried by Mt. Vesuvius
You can check this list by going to this address:
http://space-exploration.suite101.com/article.cfm/practical_applications_of_space_technology
