Why Does the US Have a Civil Space Program?

BDew writes "The Presidents of the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Engineering have commissioned a study on the Rationale and Goals of the US Civil Space Program. In short, the Academies are asking why the nation has a civil space program (including human, robotic, commercial, and personal spaceflight). The study is intended to provide a strategic framework for the nation's activities in space that can provide consistent guidance in an increasingly interconnected world. The members of the study committee are interested in the views (positive or negative) of the general public, particularly those people with a scientific and/or technological interest."

Comments

Re:Something I would ask

[Nebu]

What is the real use of getting a man to Mars or another planet other thean bragging about it for the next 70 years? Somehow, some people are in favor of a manned space program. The question is, what is the tangible benifit of sending people to the moon/Mars/Jupiter/Proxima Centauri?

"Sending people to the moon" had a lot of prerequisites. These prerequisites include:

• Developed by NASA
• • memory foam (used in your mattresses)
  • home insulation (not exactly invented by NASA, but they changed it from adhoc hacks into an actual science and engineering discipline)
  • Satelitte Dishes
  • GPS
  • Laser thermometer
  • Invisible braces
  • Joystick controllers
• Improved by NASA
• • MRI
  • quartz clocks
  • smoke alarm
  • Water purification systems
  • Automobiles
  • cordless tools
  • Thermal gloves and boots
  • Shock absorbing helmets
  • Lithium Batteries
• Found new uses by NASA
• • velcro
  • kevlar

And many, many more (see http://techtran.msfc.nasa.gov/at_home.html, http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/en/kids/spinoffs2.shtml, http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/5-8/features/F_Spinoffs_Extra.html etc.)

"Putting a man on mars" is simply an easy-to-define milestone. The real benefits are too long to lists.