It is estimated that a single satellite launch can range in cost from a low of about $50 million to a high of about $400 million. Launching a space shuttle mission can easily cost $500 million dollars, although one mission is capable of carrying multiple satellites and send them into orbit.
The Continental Congress adopted the Great Seal on June 20, 1782, and eventually the U.S. Congress approved it on September 15, 1789. The final design on the face of the Great Seal was primarily the creation of William Barton, an expert heraldist.
It was immediately accepted, and soon an olive branch and arrows (representing peace and war, respectively) were included in the eagle's talons. The bald eagle was officially adopted as the emblem of the United States five years later, in 1787. The bald eagle was chosen because of its association with authority and statehood in fact, the eagle had been used as a symbol of governmental power since Roman times.