When you hear the question, should the U.S. government continue to build space vehicles? What is the first thing that comes to your mind? Most people would say space shuttles, but the truth of the matter is there is more to space vehicles than just the space shuttles. In fact there are a total of eight different types of space vehicle classifications. Let’s take a look at the eight different types and why we should continue to develop space vehicles a little closer. For the last 3 years of my military career, I worked in the U.S. Army’s only space unit. The problem that I continually found is with the money that the government spends to use commercial vehicles to send people and supplies to space. I feel that commercial space
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Let’s take a closer look at the Timeline of space vehicles: In 1903 a Russian author names Konstantin Tsiolkovsky wrote a mathematical paper describing liftoff with liquid fuels (http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3642) 1915 Goddard establishes that it is possible to send a rocket to the moon (http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3642). 1942 First successful launch of a V-2 rocket (http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3642) October 4, 1957 Sputnik 1 weighing about 98 pounds was successfully launched using liquid fuel and took about 98 minutes to make one orbit. Less than a month later Sputnik 2 which had a heavier load was also successfully launched. Sputnik 2 was the first vehicle to carry anything human on board, a dog named Laik (http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3642). For the next six years NASA was in Space every year conquering and Space Vehicles. 1958 United States launched its first satellite (the Explorer 1), 1959 the Luna Probe 3 flies past the moon to capture the first pictures ever. 1960 TRIOS 1 launched which was a weather satellite. This by far has been the heaviest weighing in at 270 pounds.1961 Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space, shortly behind that in 1961 Alan B. Shepard Jr. becomes the second man in space, missing being the first by only 1 month. In 1962 John Glen was the first American to circle the moon. In 1963 Syncom Communications satellite launched. This …show more content…
For example, there have been multiple fatalities during launch and recovery of space vehicles. But NASA has never stopped. They have in fact slowed down and brought in new and better safety protocols but with anything there is going to be good and bad than come from it. You cannot have growth or development if you are not willing to lose something in the process. With that being said the cost is rapidly rising in order to cover all costs that are associated with space. Most people think when you say cost you are just thinking about the cost to make these vehicles or the cost to pay the people who work for NASA, but ultimately it goes way beyond that. There is insurance that has to be paid to not only the people on board the space vehicles but insurance in general especially with the third party companies that are getting
Let’s take a closer look at the Timeline of space vehicles: In 1903 a Russian author names Konstantin Tsiolkovsky wrote a mathematical paper describing liftoff with liquid fuels (http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3642) 1915 Goddard establishes that it is possible to send a rocket to the moon (http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3642). 1942 First successful launch of a V-2 rocket (http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3642) October 4, 1957 Sputnik 1 weighing about 98 pounds was successfully launched using liquid fuel and took about 98 minutes to make one orbit. Less than a month later Sputnik 2 which had a heavier load was also successfully launched. Sputnik 2 was the first vehicle to carry anything human on board, a dog named Laik (http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3642). For the next six years NASA was in Space every year conquering and Space Vehicles. 1958 United States launched its first satellite (the Explorer 1), 1959 the Luna Probe 3 flies past the moon to capture the first pictures ever. 1960 TRIOS 1 launched which was a weather satellite. This by far has been the heaviest weighing in at 270 pounds.1961 Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space, shortly behind that in 1961 Alan B. Shepard Jr. becomes the second man in space, missing being the first by only 1 month. In 1962 John Glen was the first American to circle the moon. In 1963 Syncom Communications satellite launched. This …show more content…
For example, there have been multiple fatalities during launch and recovery of space vehicles. But NASA has never stopped. They have in fact slowed down and brought in new and better safety protocols but with anything there is going to be good and bad than come from it. You cannot have growth or development if you are not willing to lose something in the process. With that being said the cost is rapidly rising in order to cover all costs that are associated with space. Most people think when you say cost you are just thinking about the cost to make these vehicles or the cost to pay the people who work for NASA, but ultimately it goes way beyond that. There is insurance that has to be paid to not only the people on board the space vehicles but insurance in general especially with the third party companies that are getting