Impacts of Space Age in America - Essay Example

Impacts of Space Age in America Just as the suggests, the space age is a period in the history of the universe that encompassed human activities related to space exploration, space race and space technology among many others. The age began on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched a satellite known as Sputnik 1 into the space. Scientists and engineers from the United States and all over the world applauded the efforts of the Soviet Union. However, the gesture portrayed the United States as an inferior a feature that compelled the government to formulate a number of legislations to improve the country’s space capacity. The following years in the United States experienced the intensification of space activities thus the development of the space age in the country. The age had myriad effects in America including a change in the trend of popular culture as the discussion below portrays. The space age began in the United States with a mixture of both worry and excitement. Politicians saw the move by the Soviet Union as condescending to the United States a feature that motivated them to formulate a number of legislations to enhance space activities. The National Defense Education Act of 1958 was one such legislation that sought to enhance education in the country by encouraging learners in schools to pursue science and mathematics in order to encourage the production of space scientists and engineers. Another equally significant move was the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to oversee the security of the country thereby protecting it from any external attacks coming from the use space technologies by other countries (McDougall 77). The administration carried out dedicated surveillance of the space besides carrying out dedicated explorations of the space. Key among the effects of the space age in the United States therefore was the evident increase in the number of students who specialized in space engineering with the view to working for the NASA, the Education Act of 1958 increased funding for education in the country, a feature that encouraged most American families to send their children to schools. The act appropriated millions of dollars from the economy to finance mathematics and science education in the country. As such, the space age in the country led to the developed of educated citizens who would enhance the economic and technological development of the country. The resultant generation from the space age was charismatic, educated and innovative. The factor validates the claim that the United States developed faster soon after the space age. The moon landing was a major achievement for the United States during the space age. Moon landing had a number of implications on the country key among which was an increased spirit of achievement and ambition. Walter Cronkit, a CBS news anchor termed the generation lucky for witnessing such major achievements. Americans believed that they would achieve whatever they believed in and the effects began revolutionizing the popular culture. Popular culture in the country spread through the country’s powerful media. The media began developing unique content that captured and represented the implications of the space age. The development of science fiction genre was one such effects as film developers in Hollywood began exploring unique themes most of which captured space exploration and fears of alien attacks (Tribbe 103). The film, 2001: A Space Odyssey became an instantaneous success and so did many others including Lost in space, Invasion of the saucer men and Plan 9 among many others produced at the time. American television and movies experienced a boom with film developers diversifying the thematic issues they represented in the film. Falling skies among other series were equally successful. Furthermore, the American film industry is among the largest globally a feature that enhanced the spread of the effects of the space age. Numerous celebrities became famous as so did their influence throughout the world. The film industry has a way of influencing fashion among other intricate features of culture. Effects of the space age proliferated and spread to comic books, furniture and fashion among others. As explained earlier, space exploration was a way for such countries as the Soviet Union and China to present their military might. The United States prioritizes its security that the two among many other countries presented major security threats to the country. As such, the American government formulated a number of policies and created equally effective government agencies to maintain a dedicated surveillance of the air space in order to increase the safety of the country. NASA has continued to monitor the space looking for moving substances that may collude with the earth. Space science thus because a major discipline in the country with the various scientists travelling to the space. Other law enforcement agencies in the country such as the FBI continue to work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in order to avert any possible attack to the country. The space age showed the American government the possibilities of aggressions thereby making the country increasingly vigilant and equally paranoiac. The space age experienced immense engineering and sciences through the innovation of appropriate technologies that would take man to the space and back. Rockets became common and so did space ships and satellites among other technologies that would provide humans with the dedicated surveillance of the universe. The technological inventions became a major source of competition among countries. Such superpowers as the United States, China and Russia among others developed satellites and submarines among other unique technologies to provide the countries with the opportunity to spy on each other. The United States became a major contender of the space thereby developing major military equipment that continues to secure the country’s waterways, land and airspace. One of such technologies that sufficed to date is robotics. Robotic science is a significant aspect of the modern society with scientist striving to develop robots that work in a number of industries. Robots for example continue the exploration of the space. They have provided a safe way of exploring the safe owing to the minimal human risks associated with such explorations. Successful robotic explorations of the space have provided vital information on the nature of life in such planets as Venus and Mars among others. Furthermore, robotic science have enhanced the development of other industries including health care and manufacture among many others. Robots run on systematic operating systems and can therefore carry out repeated operations. Furthermore, they do so precisely often depending on commends fed into them through their operating systems. As such, they continue to enhance such vital human operations such as surgeries in hospitals thereby improving the quality of healthcare throughout the world. Robotic science has enhanced the effects of space age in America. Film developers continue to emulate the developments in innovations. Science fiction for example influences technological innovation given their imaginary structures. Film developers have continued to capture the changing position of robots in the modern society. In most of the science fiction film, aliens come from the space with advanced technologies and raid the earth thereby causing unimaginable destructions and loss of lives. Law enforcement agencies coupled with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration continue to monitor the movements of UFOs. Such features thrive on speculations that life may exist in other unknown planets on the universe. The American government through its various agencies therefore carries out extensive exploration of the universe using satellites and robots among other technologies with the view to protecting the country and informing the public on any eminent catastrophes (Marty 56). The satellite technologies have for example become increasingly instrumental in observing the weather thereby cautioning the public. The space age increased fear of the earth not being able to sustain life. The progressive depletion of resources on the planet through climatic change and environmental degradations are major sources of threat. Additionally, fears of nuclear war annihilating the world continue grow the fears. Such films as The 100 and The Maze Runner among many others continue to capture such respects. Space scientists further such fears and have since carried out extensive researches on such planets as Mars and Venus with the view to beginning human life in such planets. On January 14, 2004, President George Washington Bush encouraged Americans to reach Mars and the moon a feature that proved that the country’s prospects to continue exploring the space with the view to starting human life were rife (Walter 51). Conclusion In retrospect, the space age was an important era in the United States. The government, through the country’s politicians, formulated a number of legislations and developed government agencies that would enhance the spread of the effects of the age. The implications of the age were on every sector of the economy including the culture of the country. Modern day artists for example strive to capture the space through photography and painting. The same has been the case with poets among other linguists who have developed novels, poems and scripts with storylines that show space exploration activities and the possibility of life in the space. American film and television industry portrayed the extent of the space age in culture as various film developers developed various masterpieces that represented the technological development. Robotic sciences continue to develop in the modern society thereby advancing space explorations. The developments of robots portray the effects of the space age. Works cited Marty, Myron A. Daily Life in the United States, 1960-1990: Decades of Discord. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1997. Print. McDougall, Walter A. The Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. Print. Tribbe, Matthew D. No Requiem for the Space Age: The Apollo Moon Landings and American Culture. , 2014. Print. Walter, Chip. Space Age. New York: Random House, 1992. Print.   Read More