A Bill for an Act Etitled: Budget of NASA

Americans love the idea of space and staring up at the stars. They are driven to explore and discover what man does not know, and the spirit of exploration inspires society to create and invest towards the possibility of changing the world. Nevertheless, Americans dislike paying higher taxes to fund these programs. Therefore, it makes sense to figure out new ways to expand the way NASA is funded. The

How would you like to explore a never-ending frontier filled with endless potential and possible benefits for humankind? When put this way, space exploration sounds like an enticing adventure. However, is it all that it’s chalked up to be? We’re here to answer that question. There’s a specific issue that we need to consider when referring to space exploration; should we continue to fund NASA? We acknowledge that some people may already have strong opinions on this, and we ask you to keep an open mind and try to avoid bias. After all, we’re discussing our future.

Although it is true that there is no concrete outcome “for using taxpayer money” to fund space programs, it does not mean in any way that the money is not being used to help our society grow (Source H). The bulk of the money funded to space exploration goes towards the incomes of thousands of skilled employees who create such successful space missions. It can be assumed that less than one percent is being used from the federal dollar on manned space programs, as space exploration falls under the “All others” category which spends six percent of every federal tax dollar (Source C). Space exploration programs have the potential to discover new technologies and expand on what we have here on Earth, but in order to succeed, there needs to be slight altercations with how each federal tax dollar is spent. National defense gets nineteen percent of each federal tax dollar – a proportion that is too extraordinary considering the United States has access to a nuclear arsenal which is far less expensive and just as effective as maintaining conventional forces (Source C). The United States is pretty much the military for half the world, so instead of collecting all the money from our tax payers here in America, we should collect from other counties that we protect as

According to a pie chart called, “Federal Spending for United States - FY 2015” from the NASA Data Charts, the budget for space in 2015 is not a percentage significant enough to have its own section. Instead, it is a subsection of the heading Other Spendings, which is given 2% of the federal budget. Also, in the Neil deGrasse Tyson article, it is said that the American government only gives a 7/10 cent of a tax dollar to space exploration (Tyson 2). He gives a brilliant resolution by saying, “ I’d prefer that it were more, perhaps 2 cents on the dollar.” even though we used to “. . . peak NASA spending amounted to no more than 4 cents on the tax dollar”. One of the most important technological advance was the invention of the Hubble Space

For all of humankind’s existence, people have gazed at the cosmos in wonderment, trying to wrap their minds around the complexities of the universe. Scientist and researchers are on the brink of finally being able to learn about the way the universe works. It has only been in the past few decades where researchers have been able to use current technology to efficiently collect information and process it. There have been many achievements that are due to the work in space science. NASA has contributed to creating many technologies such as ventricular assist devices, artificial limbs, anti-icing systems, video enhancing and analysis systems, to even enriched baby food. NASA has led to various ways of improvement in society with their work in space exploration. The technological advancements are in addition to the main goal of space exploration, which is to gain a better understanding of the fundamental laws of space. There needs to be an increase in funding for NASA so they can conduct research to understand Earth as well as the rest of the celestial bodies in space. By comprehending the objects in space, they can be utilized. Mining asteroids could lead to a new-found source of material that could provide resources that are not easily accessible. Their research helps in exploring space, working towards the point of traversing space to inhabit other worlds. People generally have favorable opinions of NASA and their research but think that too much money is spent in that field.

While many people support funding NASA and agree with the organization’s goals, there a good number of people who do not. A common reason for this is that they believe that the space program should focus on discovering things that can benefit us immediately, not in the future. This is a valid argument because there

As President Eisenhower once stated, “Every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed” (qtd in DeGroot). According to Jerry DeGroot, a lecturer in the Department of Modern History at the University of St. Andrews and author of the widely acclaimed biography “Douglas Haig”, every year, the United States federal government funds the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with over $17 billion. When Keith Yost, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was asked about government funding on NASA, he replied, “NASA is not only spending money, but also the sweat of our laborers, the genius of our scientists, and the hopes of our children.” As a powerhouse in the work industry, NASA is taking away from the remainder of the country. Before venturing off into space, the US needs to realize the importance of tackling the issues that lie before the citizens here on Earth. As Richard Truly, a retired Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, stated in agreement, “...I didn’t go to NASA for the United States to make international commitments that wouldn’t keep, to design space vehicles that will never be built (or will be then fail), or to make promises to the American people that will never be kept.” It would be in the best interest for the citizens of the United States federal government to cut NASA funding.

“The current spending is only 0.4% of the U.S. budget, in 2005 it was 0.7%. This is an important question, not just for me but for the entire concerned human race. Because the NASA program is a key to the defense of not only this country, but the planet and the humans that seclude in it. In addition, NASA has recently discovered signs of water on Mars, and I think this is a valid reason. Also, the NASA funding cuts take a toll by reducing its employment; in which it affects the economy significantly.

America’s funding for NASA during the space race in 1966 was 4.41% of the federal budget yet in modern times this expenditure has fallen to only 0.5% of the federal budget. One might ask why, but the greater question is why isn’t anything being done about this dearth of funding for NASA. America should once again fund the exploration of space with a renewed ferocity because of the various educational, economical, and technological benefits of having well-funded space agencies.

“One small step for man, one giant step for mankind” - Neil Armstrong. Humans have been fascinated by stars and planets from the beginning of time.The human race has made some amazing discoveries; from drawings on cave walls, to putting somebody in space. Discoveries in space include finding new planets, technology, and theories. In recent years, there have been less discoveries due to a cut in NASA’s budget. This is because instead of the money going to NASA, the money goes to other organizations. The U.S should increase NASA’s budget because it helps find planets that could support life, creates more everyday objects, and gives ideas of how the earth might end.

Paragraph 1- NASA is using all the money they have to keep what they have right now up and running, but if we sell the older spacecrafts and satellites the private companies can keep them running and being worked on while NASA builds bigger and better things. In Brian Berger's article “With NASA Budget Cuts Looming, SETI Eyes Private Funding”, he says, “NASA's astrobiology budget, the source of most of that grant money, is facing a steep decline. Under NASA's 2007 budget proposal, currently before Congress, the U.S. space agency would spend $32.5 billion on astrobiology in the year ahead--half of what it spent on astrobiology in 2005.” (Berger, pg 1). A survey was conducted between February 4, 2013, and February 6, 2013, by random people, the results were 75 percent believe that NASA’s budget should be doubled to 1 percent of the federal budget to fund initiatives including a mission to Mars.

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.

The impossible was reached on July 20th 1969 when we sent the first man on the moon. The Apollo missions are the largest and most well known explorations that NASA has conducted. Ever since we reached this new high, our curiosity of space has grown even bigger. Funding NASA’s space program even further will continue to help us amplify our available resources and discover new information to benefit humanity. Not only that, but it could provide many ways for us to find a new home and expand our species farther into our solar system, potentially saving future generations. The expansion of this space program would be able to answer more of our questions than from what we can find here on Earth. Although there

Funding for NASA should be continued because it is making Earth a safer and more advanced place.

Oh, just a little thing where they landed a man on the moon. Space exploration is not a single track venture either, in order to send men into space in space ships lots of research was needed in fields such as biology, technology, and material research. The research done in these fields contributes to society in a big way. Even the simplest thing such as better shock protection in the moon boots was taken and implemented in the soles of running shoes. Funding NASA is more than just funding space exploration, it is funding the advent of invention and the progress of the human race itself. NASA not only gets newer generations interested in space, but also directs them in the path of a STEM career. When I was a young boy, watching the moon landings on the internet piqued my interest in NASA and space and has ever since driven me to be a stargazer and to push myself in school in order to fulfil my dream of being an aerospace engineer (hopefully at