Just imagine what
the world would be like without the benefits of the space program. I'm not
talking about the big things like walking on the moon, or the space
shuttle, things that most of us don't actually get to play with. I mean
day-to-day things. Where would you be without Velcro? A Dustbuster?
Teflon?
Of course, science
isn't the answer to everything (nor do scientists know the answer to
everything, which must occasionally come as a shock to them). People who
hold up science as the be all and end all of humanity are bound to be
disappointed. Because, you see, science is a process -- the process of
discovering how the world works. It's not an answer -- it's a question
that we ask over and over again. The end of science will come only at the
end of human curiosity -- and don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
The best astronauts,
in my opinion, are of two kinds. The ones that risked their lives for the
greater good of all mankind and the ones who've made life more enjoyable
to live. The Mercury Seven: Alan B. Shepard, Virgil 'Gus' Grissom, John
Glenn, M. Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Donald
'Deke' Slayton. These seven astronauts pioneered the American space program through its infancy. A few of these brave
men saw the space program all the way through to the Apollo program.
These astronauts are the best of the
best. The space programs that these men participated in proved that and more!
The newest addition to this page is the finished table of missiles and launch systems used during the American Space Program and
a new section of fun facts about our solar system! This new table contains pages on each of the planets in our solar system along
with the Sun and some interesting facts about the solar system itself!
Links
NASAEncyclopedia Astronautica
