Democracy and Super Technologies: The Politics of the Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom

Science, Technology and Human Values 19 (2):131-151 (1994)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

A significant share of the U.S. federal R&D budget is devoted to large-scale, complex technological systems commonly referred to as "big science. " Over the last two decades, these systems have continued to grow in size, complexity, development time, and cost. At the same time, political changes in the United States, particularly the concern over government spending and the federal budget deficit, have made it more difficult for proponents to secure and preserve support for these programs over their lifetimes. Using the U.S. space shuttle and space station programs as examples, the article shows that the political requirements for obtaining approval and funding for large and expensive research and development projects create conditions that reduce the likelihood that they will succeed technologically. The problems of technology-based projects like those of the U.S. space program are in fact deeply rooted in the American political process itself.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

The political economy of very large space projects.John Hickman - 11999 - Journal of Evolution and Technology 4 (1):1-14.
Politics of Space: From the Experience to the Struggle Over Urban Space.Magdalena Gawin - 2018 - Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 2 (3):74-89.
Public space.James Mensch - 2007 - Continental Philosophy Review 40 (1):31-47.
Review of "The Empty Place: Democracy and Public Space" by Teresa Hoskyns.Asma Mehan - 2017 - ID: International Dialogue, A Multidisciplinary Journal of World Affairs 7:86-90.
Mo-bien's Conceptions of Time and Space.Xiyan Xu - 2002 - Philosophy and Culture 29 (7):628-637.

Analytics

Added to PP
2020-11-27

Downloads
2 (#1,635,221)

6 months
1 (#1,042,085)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations