How has the focus of the U.S. space program changed since the time of the Apollo program?
1 Answer
Two primary changes have taken place (many smaller ones). Emphasis on the Space Station experiments and unmanned general solar system exploration.
Explanation:
There has been a huge shift from an extremely focused and time-constrained effort to safely land men on the moon and return them to earth to a more long-term view of space exploration
Whereas both the human and time elements were very much the focus of the original NASA programs, they have now become much more generally scientific. Continued exploration of the effects of living and working in space are done on the International Space Station (cooperation between counties - especially the former Soviet Union being another drastic change).
Extra-planetary exploration and astronomy are now focused more on robotic spacecraft rather than human explorers. Overall, including the knowledge gained from the Apollo Program, more valuable scientific knowledge and many more useful technological advances have been made since the "Apollo" program push than during its existence.
