Apollo 15, Scott Worden Irwin Patch

Front:
SCOTT APOLLO 15 WORDEN IRWI FOR THE BENEFITS OF ALL MANKIND APOLLO 15 IS ANOTHER STEP IN OUR EXPLORATION OF SPACE AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF OUR KNOWLEDGE IN THIS VITAL FIELD. THE UNITED STATES SENT MEN TO THE MOON BECAUSE WE, THE CITIZENS OF THESE UNITED STATES, ARE CURIOUS PEOPLE REACHING OUT FURTHER AND FURTHER IN ORDER TO UNCOVER THE MYSTERIES OF THE WORLD ABOUT US. PEOPLE INVOLVED IN DREAMS OF SPACE EXPLORATION WERE AWARE THAT MANY PRACTICAL BENEFITS WOULD BE REALIZED BY THE PROGRAM. WE SENT MEN TO THE MOON BECAUSE THE MOON WAS OUT THERE TO BE EXPLORED. JUST AS CENTURIES AGO MEN EXPLORED THE SEAS, THE CON- TINENTS, AND IN ALL PROBABLITY WILL EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM. LIKE MANY VENTURES INTO THE UNKNOWN THE SPACE PROGRAM HAS REAL- IZED RESULTS BEYOND THE WILDEST IMAGINATION OF THESE EARLY MEN AND WOMEN OF VISION. THE SPACE PROGRAM WILL ULTIMATELY BENEFIT EACH AMERICAN IN A UNIQUE AND PERSONAL WAY. IT WILL CONTINUE TO SAVE LIVES. MAKE LIFE RICHER AND SAFER AND ASSURE THE EX- ISTENCE OF EVERY CITIZEN OF THIS COUNTRY FOR YEARS TO COME. BECAUSE THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE SPACE PROGRAM BROUGHT US THE TECHNOLOGICAL MIRACLE KNOWN AS "COMMUNICATION SATELLITE", WE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD WERE ABLE TO SEE THE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND WHEN NEIL AMSTRONG TOOK THAT FIRST HISTORICAL STEP ON THE MOON. LIKEWISE THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE MOON EXPLORATION OF SCOTT AND IRWIN OF APOLLO 15. THE BENEFITS OF THIS SPACE PROGRAM TO OUR AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE IS ALMOST IMMEASURABLE. IT HAS AFFECTED ALREADY THE LIVES OF ALL OF OUR CITIZENS. IT HAS INCREASED OUR GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT BY AT LEAST $200 BILLION AND HAS IMPROVED THE QUALITIES OF MANY OF OUR INDUSTRIES AND HAS DEVELOPED IN- DUSTRIES AND EMPLOYMENT WHICH WERE UNKNOWN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROGRAM. THE BENEFITS WILL CONTINUE TO COME. THE ADVANCE- MENT WILL CONTINUE TO REFLECT CREDIT TO OUR GREAT TECHNOLOGICAL POTENTIAL. THE BENEFICIAL IMPACT OF THE SPACE PROGRAM REACHES INTO MANY AVENUES OF MAN'S WAY OF LIFE...BUSINESS, MEDICINE, TRANSPORTATION, CONSTRUCTION, NEW FABRICS, NEW MATERIALS, AND NEW METHODS OF TECHNOLOGY. A GREAT DEAL OF THE KNOWLEDGE IS IMMEDIATELY TRANSFERABLE TO PRACTICAL USE AND THE FULLNESS OF TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFER HAS ALREADY REACHED CONSEQUENTIAL POTENTIALS.

Back:
SPACE EXPLORATION RATHER THAN BEING IN OPPOSITION TO MEETING NEEDS OF THIS EARTH IS, IN FACT, PART OF THE SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE, THAT IS INDISPENSABLE FOR MEETING THESE NEEDS. WE MUST VENTURE. WE MUST DARE. WE MUST GROW MENTALLY AND SPIRITUALLY TO SURVIVE. SPACE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE EXPLOITED FOR HUMAN GOOD, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL MANKIND. SOME PEOPLE ASK, "WHY SPEND MONEY TO EXPLORE SPACE WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH LEFT TO BE DONE ON EARTH?" THERE WAS PLENTY TO BE DONE IN EUROPE WHEN COLUMBUS LEFT IT. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THERE IS STILL PLENTY TO BE DONE IN EUROPE. IF COLUMBUS HAD WAITED UNTIL EUROPE HAD NO MORE INTERNAL PROBLEMS, HE WOULD STILL BE WAITING TO OPEN THE WAY TO THE NEW WORLD. THE NEW WORLD DID MORE TO PRESERVE EUROPEAN CULTURE AND ECONOMY THAN ANY INTERNAL ACTION THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE DONE. THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM TODAY. IT IS AN ESSENTIAL ALLY TO OTHER POSITIVE CREATIVE PROGRAMS. WHEN COLUMBUS TOOK OFF, THE PURPOSE OF THE TRIP WAS TO IMPROVE TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA. THAT PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN SOLVED TO THIS VERY DAY. BUT JUST LOOK AT THE BY-PRODUCTS! ONE THE GREATEST AREAS OF BENEFIT FROM THE SPACE RE- SEARCH IS IN THE FIELD OF COMMUNICATIONS. PERHAPS, THE MOST FAMILIAR IS THE INTER- NATIONAL TELEVISION WHICH CAN NOW BE RELAYED AROUND THE WORLD BY NETWORK OF COMMUNI- CATION SATELLITES ORBITING THOUSANDS OF MILES ABOVE THE EARTH AND AFFORDING "LIVE" VIEWING OF EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD. LIKE THE COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE THE METEROLOG- ICAL SATELLITE HAS CONSTANTLY IMPROVED LIFE ON EARTH. THIS THROUGH THE ABILITY TO PREDICT WEATHER AND TO GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY OF MAKING NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS BEFORE THE WEATHER ARRIVES. WITH THE SHORT RANGE WEATHER FORECAST OF 48-72 HOURS THE DAMAGE FROM HURRICANES, SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN MARKEDLY REDUCED. IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT SAVINGS POSSIBLE FROM MORE ACCURATE FORECAST IF THEY COULD RUN INTO A WEEKLY PHASE WOULD SAVE FARMING, FISHING, CONSTRUCTION, AND OTHER FIELDS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS PER YEAR. BENEFITS TO MEDICINE HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO MONITOR AND BRING THE EVALUATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES AND PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES UNDER CLOSE SUPERVISION OF THE APPROPRIATE MEDICAL PERSONNEL. AT THE TEXAS INSTITUTE OF REHABILITATION AND RESEARCH AN APPLICATION FROM THE NASA PROGRAM HAS FOUND GREAT USEFULNESS. A SLING SUPPORT DEVICE DESIGNED TO FAMILIARIZE ASTRONAUTS WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF REDUCED GRAVITY ON THE LUNAR SURFACE WAS MODIFIED FOR INTENSIVE TESTING OF NEW TECHNIQUES IN THE TREATMENT OF THE HANDICAPPED AND THE REHABILITATION OF BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS WHO FIND IT DIFFICULT TO TRAIN UNUSED MUSCLES TO WALK AGAIN. THIS DEVICE OFFERS HOPE FOR ANY FAMILY WITH A HANDICAPPED CHILD REQUIRING RETRAINING OF MUSCLES. THE TRAINING PERIOD OF HANDICAPPED AND THE REHABILITATION PERIOD REQUIRED FOR ACCIDENT VICTIMS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THROUGH ITS USE AND MANY OF THE FRUSTRATIONS OF LEARNING AND RELEARNING WILL BE LESSENED. IN THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY AMERICANS MUST DRIVE THEIR CARS AND SPEND A LARGE PART OF THEIR LIVES IN THE AUTOMOBILES. THESE CARS MUST BE MADE SAFER TO DRIVE AND MUST BE DRIVEN ON SAFER HIGHWAYS. A SHOCK ABSORBING MECHAN- ISM USED IN ASTRONAUTS' COUCHES OF THE APOLLO SPACECRAFT HAS BEEN TESTED BY THE BUREAU OF ROADS. THIS SHOCK ABSORBER WHEN USED ON THE HIGHWAY GUARD RAIL WILL CUT A SIXTY MILE PER HOUR IMPACT DOWN TO THE EQUIVALENT OF A FIVE MILE PER HOUR IMPACT. THIS DEVICE IS RUGGED, CHEAP AND REUSABLE. A GROOVING TECHNIQUE WHICH ALLOWS THE WATER TO DRAIN OFF A WET HIGHWAY HAS RESULTED IN A 90% REDUCTION IN INJURY, DEATH, AND DAMAGE FROM ACCIDENTS DURING WET WEATHER COMPARED WITH NORMAL HIGHWAY SURFACES. THIS DISCOVERY BY AEROSPACE TEST PILOTS IS APPLICABLE TO THE PEOPLE IN SEVERAL OF OUR STATES WHERE THIS TECHNIQUE HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT. FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE, AND MANY, MANY, MANY MORE APPLICATIONS, WHAT DOES IT COST YOU? THE CURRENT BUDGET IS 1.4% OF THE TOTAL FEDERAL BUDGET, ROUGHLY $15. PER PERSON PER YEAR. COMPARE THIS WITH $400. PER PERSON WE SPEND ON SOCIAL PRO- GRAMS, $400. ON DEFENSE, $35. ON ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE, $17. ON TOBACCO, AND $16. ON COSMETICS. IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT THE BENEFITS FROM THE SPACE PROGRAM- BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT- ARE PROVIDING EACH AMERICAN WITH AN EXCELLENT RETURN ON HIS INVESTMENT. SPACE PROGRAMS WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THIS RETURN IF THESE PROGRAMS ARE ADEQUATELY FINANCED. THIS IS AN INVESTMENT IN AMERICA. THESE PROGRAMS PLUS OUR EARTH RESOURCES, COMMUNICA- TIONS, AND WEATHER SATELLITES ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE EXTRA UNPLANNED BENEFITS FOR MANKIND JUST AS THE APPLICATION OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, COMMERCE, GOVERNMENT, OUR MEDICAL PROFESSIONS, OUR SCHOOLS HAVE IN THE PAST. THESE GOALS ARE NOT OVERLY OPTIMISTIC. HISTORY HAS SHOWN THAT OUR PREDICTIONS OFTEN FALL SHORT OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS. CONSIDER THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE IN AMERICA DURING ITS FIRST THIRTEEN YEARS IN SPACE. THE DALLAS HEALTH AND SCIENCE MUSEUM ASKS YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE NATIONAL SPACE PROGRAM. ΤΟ