Does walking on the moon make life better for people on earth? Why should we be spending huge sums on trips to outer space? Such

Does walking on the moon make life better for people on earth? Why should we be spending huge sums on trips to outer space? Such questions as these are often asked, especially by those whose tax money is paying for space(36)explorations. The answers to these questions are many and varied.
    Up to now, the practical benefits resulting from space research have(37)included the development of new methods and skills, new processes, new services, new products, and even new companies(38)created to make use of what has been learned through space travel. Also among the benefits are better education, more(39)efficient management, the quality of industrial products, and rapid economic growth. People all over the world are now served by(40)improved weather prediction, better communication systems, and better understanding of the earth and its environment. Everyone will benefit as observations from space make it possible to(41)measure the earth’s resources and to observe whether or not they are being used(42)properly. The space program has already brought a new(43)appreciation of the complex system of which man is only a part.(44)In addition to improving the quality of existing products, the space program has been responsible for the development and improvement of new ones. The most important is computer. To bring the endangered Apollo 13 astronauts home safely in 1970, a new flight plan had to be made taking account of an unbelievably complex combination of elements.(45)The computer accomplished this task in 72 minutes, whereas a man or a woman working with pencil and paper would have taken more than a million years. If there had been no space program,(46)it is doubtful that computers would now have such a wide use in industry and government.