In the recent times, a significant section of the American population has come to assume that investing resources and money in the space program does not need to be a government priority. Such views do pose many problems for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The fundamental is that the political class acts a great deal in consonance with what the masses assume. Thereby, the proliferation of the belief that money should not be spent on space programs could lead to significant cuts in the funding of NASA. Going with the current funding of NASA, the organization is already not in a position to finance plentiful of cherished projects. For instance, the much famous mission to Mars is already in a danger of not receiving the desired …show more content…
The amount of funding that the government dedicates to the space research is not that massive. The most common misconception among Americans that NASA does attracts massive government funding. Since the past few years, NASA has received much less than a miniscule 0.5 percent of the overall federal budget (Spotts 4). When compared to other federal budgetary allocations, one could readily understand the fact that the money government spends on NASA is already insufficient as compared to the other attributes it tends to support. For instance, consider the fact that in the year 2013, the government invested double the amount in the Department of Justice as compared to the money it allocated to NASA (Spotts 4). In the same year, the federal government apportioned three times the funds to the Department of Homeland Security, to what is allocated to NASA (Spotts 4). It will indeed be amazing to know that in the year 2013, the Department of Defense received 35 times of the actual funding that the government provided to NASA (Spotts 4). So to begin with the perception that NASA is receiving way too much government funding is misguided. The reality is that NASA receives only a miniscule proportion of the funds contrast to the other government departments tend to …show more content…
The research projects of NASA as primarily focused on space, but it is imperative for mankind to acknowledge is that NASA is not only about outer space. NASA does focus on heaps of associated technologies that are not merely required in space, but that has also made the United States of America scientifically one of the most advanced nations in the world. NASA has invented technologies that have proven to be of immense benefit to the mankind (Harrison 15). The research carried on by NASA has resulted in the creation of hundreds of user friendly applications that have benefitted the mankind. Such applications do include weather satellites that warn the people against the incoming weather phenomena like the hurricanes and cyclones and protect thousands of human lives, fire resistant technologies developed for the spacecrafts that do find application in an array of normal firefighting gadgets, and many types of lasers and precision cutting instruments that are used by the surgeons today to save human lives (Wong 203). Yet, these are not the only amazing technologies that NASA has managed to produce over the years and that was on a thin budget. To mention some of the amazing technologies produced by NASA that find everyday applications in the day to day life include,
There are many people who see space as the last and greatest frontier for humankind. There are many groups who are leading the way and NASA is one of them. But should our tax dollars be invested in such an idea? No, according to British history professor Jerry DeGroot. His thesis, in the article “is that United States should, a sensually, defund NASA. From what I can tell, he uses mainly pathos to try to sway his argument, leaving very little appeals to ethos and practically none to logos. I’m going to explore these three appeals, as well as many of the fallacies he uses within the piece.
NASA Funding The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was booming in the late 1960s because the U.S. invested over 4.5 percent of the Federal Budget (Bolden). Unfortunately, in the recent years, the Government has slashed funding for many of NASA’s projects in an attempt to cut back on the deficit and boost the economy. Despite the plummet in NASA's budget, the program has proved that it's prominence in the U.S., space programs like NASA continue to face difficulty in increasing its funds. Although, NASA leads evidently, the government doesn’t think NASA is worth more than 0.47 percent of the federal budget.
This is because if we let them, another country can one-up us which in the end can lead to major problems for the U.S. The NASA program also gives us a whole new insight to how we see things and how we live our lives daily. For example Google Maps, which is used by many people, uses satellite that we get from having this program. However, some of the money used for this category can be taken and put into another category such as the FBI. “The FBI is the Federal Bureau of Investigation which operates field offices in 58 cities to combat terrorism and crime” (Document E).
In July of 1958, President Eisenhower passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as a response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik nine months earlier. That administration, now known worldwide as NASA, has become an icon of space exploration and mankind's accomplishments. Who would have thought that fifty years later, NASA's future would be so uncertain? Congress has recently proposed a bill that would significantly cut funding from the NASA's Constellation program. These budget cuts are unnecessary and are counterproductive to the original idea of the space program.
On June 30, 1908, the Tunguska Asteroid struck an isolated area in Siberia. The asteroid was 164 feet in diameter, and caused tragic devastation to the forest that it hit. People 37 miles away from where the asteroid touched down were knocked off their feet. If this asteroid were to hit a populated region of Siberia, thousands of people would have been killed. Asteroids have the ability to cause significant damage; it is believed by some that an asteroid wiped out all the dinosaurs, in the Pre-historic Era. However, thanks to NASA, today there is nothing to worry about because of the satellites it has launched. NASA already does so much with the little money the government provides, if congress decides to continue funding for the company, its possibilities are endless.
Bill Nye, the “Science Guy,” asserts, “NASA is an engine of innovation and inspiration as well as the world's premier space exploration agency, and we are well served by politicians working to keep it that way, instead of turning it into a mere jobs program, or worse, cutting its budget.” The United States of America’s government is currently in an economic debt encompassing billions of US dollars. Unfortunately, the government has attempted to balance finances by cutting the funding for most programs, including NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA, in over half a century, has brought the most economic, technological, and social benefits than any other program held here in the USA, as well as any other extraterrestrial program in the world. The last thing this nation needs is the cutting of NASA finances. NASA should be receiving more funding because the Earth will not last forever and humans will need a place to live, there’s a curiosity within humans about the vast universe they live in, there is evidence to suggest life on other planets, the USA’s superpower status will be improved, and the economical income NASA brings is more efficient than any other governmental or educational program.
In 2013 spending on NASA will be at the lowest point in the last four years because the United States government is in extreme debt. Many feel that this will lead to a halt on all space exploration and technological advancements in the world of Astronomy. In my opinion I feel that this lack of funding for NASA will thoroughly hinder progress for future generations as well as our own.
According to Space.com the Federal Government approved a budget of $16.6 billion for NASA in 2014. Approximately 1/3 of that will be spent on space exploration.
This essay is being written to prove that NASA spending has a negative impact on American society. Continuing NASA and the programs run by it is harmful to American society and Government. NASA harms the economy. NASA also harms the environment in which we live. And the money that NASA spends could be used to help solve problems in our country, not on another planet.
When talking about the current space program, Neil Degrasse Tyson once said, “I got angry with America, because advancing is not just something you do incrementally. You need innovation as well, so that your advances are revolutionary, not merely evolutionary” (Tyson 3). America used to have the top space program in the world. Being first to the moon excited the country and gave everyone a sense of pride and fulfillment. Lately, though, we have been falling behind in space exploration. A successful space program is needed in America, and here’s why: we are losing our grip on the title as the world superpower and a new age of economics and politics is coming faster than we are prepared for. To be prepared for this new age we need the funds,
NASA’s research and innovation looked promising, but it came at a cost. Money, resources, and spacecraft accidents, most famously Apollo 13 all hindered NASA’s research. In the 21st century, the debate over funding for NASA is at its peak since the birth of the organization in 1958, especially when there are numerous problems throughout the world. Is the money spent on space exploration worth the advantages and advances it contributes to society? When considering this topic, one might ask themselves, why explore space?
Even if we disregard the economic value of the space program, the achievements of NASA speak for themselves. The ability to send humans onto the moon, survey the surface of Mars using the Curiosity rover, and even find water on a foreign planet is astounding. Even looking at the International Space Station, it seems abundantly clear that the space program brings more unanimity between nations than the military will ever hope to achieve, while the military has a budget 33 times that of the space program. Hence, blaming the costs of the space program is an absurd argument, as the budget that is put into the program is used very proficiently.
In America, space travel is a controversial issue that many discuss. Although exciting, some people find it unnecessary and a waste of money. There are also many risks associated with space travel and many issues are more important than space travel that should be focused on. There are ethical, diplomatic, and economic issues that need to be considered before making decisions about space exploration.
Most people think that the costly downside to funding space exploration is a reason to avoid spending money on sciences and instead spend it on problems here on earth, but such funding for space exploration actually promotes economical as well as scientific benefits. Space exploration is an important expenditure for the high cost because of the potential for numerous benefits such as the possibility to find useful resources to cultivate, space exploration and satellites produce many thousands of jobs in our economy, and it creates and discovers newer and better technologies through research and development.
By being in a very technologically advanced era, scientists can invent revolutionary devices never thought of. NASA is doing that right now and has been doing that since it began. They are not only climbing the stairs in space exploration but in the medical industry, too. Nevertheless, they are forever changing millions of lives by using all they have discovered. Most of all, they are teaching people a life lesson, to always use the things you have for the greater good. NASA has achieved profound success ever since their start in 1958 and they will continue to make discovery and innovation their first and foremost goal for years to come.