What has NASA done for you?

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

In the interview Gore claimed he "took the initiative in creating the
Internet." Gore entered Congress in January 1977, many of the
components of what we now call the Internet existed well before that
time.

Yes. That does not alter the fact that the charge that Gore claimed to
have invented the internet is false.

Gore claimed --perhaps clumsily, and certainly self servingly-- to have
been a leader in the Senate in matters related to internet technology.
Political opponents spun the statement to make it appear that Gore had
delusions of scientific grandeur.

--

Dan
C172RG at BFM

Let's add the temperature-sensitive foam that many of us sit/sleep on,
and keeps Oregon Aero in business.

Another bonus from NASA? Paid my salary (contractor) for 4 years
and got me a faculty fellowship for 2 (and I got to work on the
Mars programs doing that!!!!)

leslie wrote:


http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/sp....html#computer
NASA spinoffs, space benefits, space history, NASA space spinoffs,
NASA technology products


The following list of spinoffs is from:

http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/spinoff.html
THE BEST OF NASA'S SPINOFFS

Laser Angioplasty
Cardiac Imaging System
Advanced Pacemaker
Implantable Heart Aid
Body Imaging
Computer Reader for the Blind
Ocular Screening System
Advanced Wheelchair
Radiation-Blocking lenses
Collision Avoidance System (for aircraft)
Self-Righting life Raft
Weather Information Processing
Corrosion-Resistant Coating
Air/Wastewater Purification Systems
Heat Pipes for the Alaska Pipeline
Cordless Products
Stratch-Resistant Sunglass Coating
Structural Analysis (NASTRAN)
Clean Room Apparel


--Jerry Leslie
Note: is invalid for email


The problem with the spinoff justification is that you cannot prove that
those things wouldn't have been invented in some other research project.
Indeed what we don't know is whether or not better and/or more numerous
spinoffs wouldn't have been discovered had the money been spent on some
other research.

In the interests of full disclosure, let me say that I work on a NASA
project:

I work at the Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a software engineer on
the CHANDRA X-RAY orbiting observatory.

Now the interesting thing here is that one of the detectors on CHANDRA is a
spinoff from.......

the military.

The High Resolution Camera (HRC) uses a technology called "Micro Channel
Plates". This was developed by the military and was secret stuff for a
while. But it became declassified so we used it on CHANDRA.

So you see, spinoffs can come from anywhere. There's nothing sacred
special, or unusual about NASA generated spinoffs.

The other aspect of the discussion which is often overlooked is that if
funds are taken from NASA, they don't automatically get allocated to other
research projects. They might go towards building a bridge, a road (worthy
things), or some legislator's fave pork project. So you roll the dice if
you take funds FROM NASA. So from this standpoint, it's a bird in the hand
argument.


--
Saville

Replicas of 15th-19th century nautical navigational instruments:

http://home.comcast.net/~saville/backstaffhome.html

Restoration of my 82 year old Herreshoff S-Boat sailboat:

http://home.comcast.net/~saville/SBOATrestore.htm

Steambending FAQ with photos:

http://home.comcast.net/~saville/Steambend.htm

Ron Garret wrote:

That is true, but there is considerably more controversy over whether
*manned* space exploration is worthy of taxpayer funding, and more
controversy still over whether taxpayers ought to continue to fund NASA.

This guy says it better than I can.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?O5714629B

George Patterson
Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a person to
use the Internet and he won't bother you for weeks.

"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...

Yes. That does not alter the fact that the charge that Gore claimed to
have invented the internet is false.


Yes. That does not alter the fact that Gore claimed quite a bit more than
just voting for the original appropriation, which is the only point I made.