NASA Historical Studies on the Societal Impact of Spaceflight

Paper number

IAC-06-E5.P.08

Author

Dr. Steven Dick, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Headquarters, United States

Year

2006

Abstract

NASA's founding document, the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, states that one of the objectives of NASA will be "the establishment of long-range studies of the potential benefits to be gained from, the opportunities for, and the problems
involved in the utilization of aeronautics and space activities for peaceful and scientific
purposes.”  Accordingly, the NASA History Office has initiated a series of studies and conferences in the societal impact of spaceflight.  The first conference, held September 19-21, 2006 in Washington, D.C, encompassed five main categories:  1) the national and international impact of the catalyzing events of the Space Age, including Sputnik, the Apollo 11 landings and the Space Shuttle tragedies; 2) commercial and economic impact, ranging from the broad effects on the aerospace industry and technology transfer to specific effects like the integrated circuit industry; 3) applications satellites, the environment and national security; 4) educational, social and political impacts, and 5) philosophical and cultural impacts.   The latter ranges from the impact of visual imagery such as photographs of Earthrise, the whole Earth, the pale blue dot, and the astronomical objects viewed by the Hubble Space Telescope, to the impact on popular culture, literature and the arts.   In parallel with the conference, a series of specific studies has been commissioned on such topics as NASA and the environment, the effect of spaceflight on medical applications, the spread of the Apollo program management style to other large-scale endeavors, and NASA's role in the development of microelectronic mechanical systems (MEMS). For both the conferences and the special studies, the goal is to examine the multifaceted impacts of spaceflight with rigorous historical research.

Abstract document

IAC-06-E5.P.08.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-E5.P.08.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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