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When compared to other government-run programs, the space program run by…

- - - - If plutonium was released due to an explosion at launch, an area 62 miles in radius would be contaminated
      - If a rocket exploded during launch and plutonium was released before it broke through the atmosphere, people would be affected in an area 1,900 miles in radius
- - - - “It’s more than a test flight, it’s really a mission to the International Space Station, it’s part of the Commercial Crew Program that really gets us ready for the…crew flight that comes up later,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, the director of space flight operations at NASA
    - - The shuttle's parachute system was under question for a while.
      - In addition, temperature issues within the capsule were sources of concern during the inspection
      - More major issues, like the reliability of the high-pressure helium tanks, were a big talking point during the inspection phase, especially because of an explosion of one such tank in 2016.
      - The computer and guidance systems used on the rocket and in the shuttle were thoroughly looked at, primarily because of the similarities between the systems and those of the ISS, meaning in the case of an emergency on the ISS, it would be much more difficult to save people using the Dragon capsule
  - - - Some people agree with the budget plan, saying that it's good that more money is going to commercializing spaceflight rather than keeping it a primarily private, government operated venture.
      - Other people believe that the cuts to the Earth-related departments of NASA mean that the government doesn't really care about solving Earth's problems anymore.
- - - - According to Michael Griffin, an administrator at NASA, “We don't just create new jobs, we create entirely new markets and possibilities for economic growth that didn't previously exist. This is the emerging space economy, an economy that is transforming our lives here on Earth in ways that are not yet fully understood or appreciated.”
    - - Over the years, NASA has spent money on research that has led to the creation of weather and communication satellites, ATM machines, and GPS tracking, as well as the development of technology to improve farming and fishing, among other industries.
      - In addition, a 2002 study showed that 15 companies that had invested $64 million into NASA's Research and Development department had received a return of $1.5 billion
- - - - On Earth, the administration conducted aeronautics research to improve life on Earth, especially relating to air travel
      - For use on Earth, weather and communications satellites were launched into orbit, as were information-gathering satellites, so humans could learn more about the planet and communicate with people located on the opposite side of the globe
      - They also sent robots to explore other celestial bodies, like the moon and the other planets in the solar system
        
        To the Moon prior to the Apollo missions went the Ranger, Surveyor, and the Lunar Orbiter
        
        Mars received Mariner 4 and Vikings 1 and 2 to learn more about the Red Planet's terrain and makeup
        
        Pioneer Venus was sent to Venus, to learn more about the planet's toxic atmosphere and scorching surface
        
        As gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn couldn't receive robots like other planets, but they did receive passers-by in the forms of Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, as well as Pioneer 10, which was sent inside Jupiter to gather data, and Pioneer 11, which was sent inside Saturn for the same reason
      - In addition, NASA developed a reusable space shuttle for bringing people to the International Space Station, a zero-gravity laboratory orbiting the Earth at 5 miles per second
        
        Another unlucky shuttle was Columbia, which ran 27 successful flights, but disintegrated on reentry during the 28th
        
        The unfortunate Challenger shuttle only ran 9 successful flights, exploding on takeoff of the 10th
        
        Endeavor is the shuttle that is most overlooked for having a rather uneventful lifetime compared to the other shuttles, running 25 missions and retiring in June of 2011
        
        The Atlantis shuttle ran a total of 33 flights before retiring in July of 2011 and marking the end of the United States' space program
        
        Discovery was the shuttle that ran the most missions, completing 39 before retiring in March of 2011
      - NASA launched projects to see how humans would survive in space
        
        Project Gemini was created based off the data collected by Project Mercury, and worked on expanding the capabilities of humans in space
        
        The rocket for the Gemini program was designed to send two astronauts into space, as opposed to Project Mercury's one
        
        The missions involved a lot of procedure streamlining, like for a capsule reentering the atmosphere and landing in the ocean safely
        
        The program was also made up of data gathering, especially data on how the human body reacts to zero-gravity, and how to dock onto another structure in space
        
        Project Apollo was created as a result of the ongoing space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. It's primary goal was to put a man on the moon before the Soviets did.
        
        This was a very intense project, and it took 11 years and cost the United States $25.4 billion dollars to complete
        
        It, as a peacetime project, was often compared to the Manhattan Project, which had taken place in a wartime setting
        
        As a result of the rush to beat the Soviets to the Moon, NASA experienced a number of setbacks, but persisted nevertheless
        
        On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 crew successfully landed on the Moon, and Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the lunar surface.
        
        Project Mercury was NASA's first program to send humans into space
        
        There were six total flights for this project, ranging from a 15-minute flight to get a man into orbit and get him back safely, to an hour-long flight around the planet