Chapter IV Science and Technology

I. Federal Government’s Policy and Support 1.Federal investment in science and technology has played a critical role. A. America has a large scientific organization to promote the development of science and technology. B. A very large scientific and technology institution has been established. C. America invites many scientists from other countries.

2. The American government has taken a series of effective methods in the fields of science and technology to encourage and inspire scientific invention and has made important achievements. A. In late 20th C., American Association for the Advancement of Science proposed a framework for federal science policy. B. The Federal Government has increased its investment in science and technology for years.

II. Space Exploration 1.NASANASA A. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, created on Oct.1, 1958 B. Purpose: to provide for research into the problems of light within and outside the Earth’s atmosphere and for other purposes. C. Achievements: a. In 1958, Project Mercury put the first Americans into space. b. The Apollo Program landed humans on the Moon and brought them back safely to Earth.Apollo Program

c. Six lunar landings returned a wealth of scientific data and almost 400 kilograms of lunar samples. d. NASA’s four space shuttle orbiters are the first spacecraft capable of launching into orbit like rockets and returning to Earth as gliders. e. In 1998, the first two modules of the International Space Station were launched and joined together in orbit.

2. Three Space Centers A. Johnson Space Center a. It was established in 1961 to lead NASA’s efforts in human space exploration. b. Projects of JSC B. John Kennedy Space Center a. It was established in July b. It is the agency’s Launch Operations Center and has served as the departure gate for every American manned mission and hundreds of advanced scientific spacecraft.

C. The Marshall Space Flight Center It is a multi-project management, scientific and engineering established, with much more emphasis on projects involving scientific investigation and the application of space technology to the solution of problems on Earth. John Kennedy Space Center

III. Nobel Prize Winners for Sciences 1.About the Nobel Prize A. The Nobel Prizes are presented each year on Dec. 10. B. The first Nobel prizes were presented in American Nobel Prize Winners for Sciences and Economics A. In the 20th C, America produced more than 200 Nobel Prize winners, which ranks the first in the world. （ Edison) Edison

B. Americans won all the 2006 Nobel Prizes for sciences. a. The winners for physics are John Mather and George Smoot for the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite.John Mather and George Smoot b. Roger Kornberg won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in genetic research. He showed how information in the nucleus of genes is copied and moved to other parts of a cell. He was the first to show pictures of this process taking place. He works at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

C. The 2006 Nobel Prize winners in Medicine or Physiology are Craig Mello and Andrew Fire. a. Craig Mello is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. b. Andrew Fire is a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. c. They found they could control genes in the creatures with injections of specially designed ribonucleic acid, or RNA. Craig Mello Andrew Fire

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NASA

The Apollo Program landed humans on the Moon

Projects of JSC  The NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project was established in 1996, whose goal is to capture history from the individuals who first provide the country and the world with an avenue to space and the moon.  JSC History Collection whose goal is to provide “temporary transfer of custody and loan of historically significant records accumulated by JSC relating to human spaceflight

John Mather and George Smoot  John Mather is a top scientist with the NASA. He was the main investigator in developing the COBE satellite.  George Smoot works at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in Berkeley, California. He led the team that studied the information provided by the satellite.