NASA: Money Well Invested

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is perhaps the most well known space agency in the world. Since its formation in 19581, it has pioneered in space science, yet is also renowned for its large budget. NASA has the highest budget of any space agency, $18.6 billion2 in 2015, the equivalent of every American paying $54 towards the agency3, meaning 0.14% of total GDP is spent on NASA3 . This money is spent on the ISS, sending astronauts, probes and satellites into space, astrophysics and planetary science research, maintaining and developing NASA’s space telescopes (the Wide Field Infrared Survey telescope searching for dark energy and exoplanets, the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope) and developing spacecraft2. Space exploration is an incredibly expensive process with one shuttle launch costing $450 million4 however NASA’s colossal budget benefits the USA greatly; the agency employs 18,000 people5 as astronauts, engineers, scientists and teachers and G. Scott Hubbard, former director of the NASA Ames Research Center estimates that every dollar spent on NASA returns $8 to the economy6.While this figure is an estimate, it demonstrates NASA’s worth and capacity for money making. NASA works on pioneering research and as its patents and licenses return to the US treasury, it

In the past 50 years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has sent out many planned space exploration missions which have lead to numerous advantages in society and culture. NASA’s technologies benefit American lives with the innumerable important breakthroughs by creating new markets that have spurred the economy and changed countless lives in many ways. NASA is a federal agency and receives its fundings from the annual federal budget passed by the United States Congress. However, there are conflicting opinions that consider whether or not funding for NASA is a waste of government spending.

Funding manned spaceflight is a great way to advance technology, not just for NASA but us too. Around 2,000 inventions we use today were created by NASA. These inventions are known as space spinoffs. Things you use every day may not have been invented if it wasn’t for space travel. For example, something you probably carry around with you every day, and middle schoolers like us especially love, is the smart phone. Think of your life without a phone. Our communication would be completely different. Another example is memory foam. Memory foam was created by NASA to absorb impact inside spacecrafts, and spacesuits. Today memory foam is in many of our mattresses, pillows, and shoes. NASA also developed scratch resistant glasses that are very cheap, and many people have it in their glasses. More examples of spin-offs are baby food, braces, and thermometers. Without funding NASA, we wouldn't have thousands of inventions that we use on a daily

The public’s lack of knowledge about NASA’s research explains why many people believe that the organization is receiving too much funding. According to NASA.gov, the organization has received 19.3 billion dollars for the 2016 fiscal year. This equates to about 0.486% of the government budget. While this may seem like a lot, the percentage has drastically decreased over the past few decades by almost 3.5%. NASA is receiving “more money each year, but at the same time a smaller percentage of the federal budget” (Steinburg 240). There are projects that NASA is currently working on that they cannot finish due to lack of funding. If NASA can find a way to receive more funding, then not only can the organization capitalize on these current projects, but it can also open up discussion for future ones as well. The possibilities of what humans can achieve is endless, the only restrictions are time and money, two of the most important factors in society. While time can’t be controlled, money can. Now it’s just a matter of getting more of it, which is going to be hard for NASA to do, especially when people feel as though they are receiving too much funding.

In addition to initiating a space race between the two current superpowers, the Sputnik spacecraft launch also had alarming military implications. The Sputnik satellites used intercontinental ballistic missiles that were initially used for their thrust capabilities but could theatrically be capable of flying from the Soviet Union to United States military targets in less than an hour—cutting the flight time to a fraction of a conventional bomber aircraft. In response to the launch of Sputnik, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. The act created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) . To prevent the rise of Soviet dominance in military matters, Eisenhower also established the Advanced Research Projects Agency, a division of the U.S. Department of Defense. This was symbolic of a serious revelation of the standing of the scientific and technological capabilities of America in comparison to other countries, and also led to President Eisenhower issuing a proclamation to increase funding for education in America in science and engineering to combat this widening deficit. The quick Soviet lead in the newly emerging space race caused much panic, which shaped American foreign policy for the following decade(Document E). An example is avoiding “an all-out war with China” for fear of having to combat communism on two fronts.(Document

NASA has widespread economic benefits in the economy that far outweigh the amount of money spent on NASA. It is estimated for every $1 spent by NASA, this adds $10 to the United States economy. NASA creates many new transformative effects on the entire economy. Much of the economy is dependent on the internet, and the communication of information through satellites. These products can be used by any company to jumpstart their growth and in turn the economy’s growth. A study on 15 companies that were awarded $64 million in contracts by NASA were found to have benefits that totaled over $1.5 billion and the contracts stimulated the companies to spend a total of $200 million on additional R&D (Hertzfeld). Skeptics say that if the government spent this money directly on the economy by stimulating companies then the economy would grow faster and there would be a greater amount of money going into the economy in the first place. But the part that these skeptics forget is that NASA creates many jobs and invents many new technologies that have redefined the international economies.

One could argue that NASA is a waste of time, and that Congress's plans a good thing, but there are many benefits to continuing the Constellation program. Although NASA will still continue operation without it, the Constellation program, if continued, would result in major technological advances that would eventually trickle down to the commercial level and benefit humanity as a whole. So far, these "NASA spinoffs" include water purification methods, weather forecasting aids, personal alarm systems, radiation hazard detectors, along with countless others ("Spinoff"). NASA's programs also employ hundreds of engineers to design and test these technologies. Furthermore, NASA's explorations dramatically increase our overall knowledge base, allowing us to make sense of our surroundings. It is human nature to question and explore our environment. Furthermore, another one of Constellation's goals was to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, and someday on Mars.

Through innovation in technology, the space exploration programs of the United States have achieved several benefits for today’s society. Many studies have shown that space programs have encouraged innovation of various

During the what is considered to be the most heated section of the Space Race during 1960s, it was a NASA Administrator named James Webb who held fast, determined and calling upon all his skills, he went on to push the U.S. rocket program past seemingly never ending political barriers, far beyond the outstretched hands of jealous rivals, and forward on to success. James Edwin Webb was only the second administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, established semi-recently in 1958. NASA was created with the idea that the United States could develop a state-of-the-art space exploration program that would go on to outdo, and unravel the Soviet Union's program. The U.S. was quickly sinking into the swamp that was the Cold

The year after the launch of Sputnik, “President Dwight Eisenhower signed a public order creating NASA,” a federal space agency dedicated to space exploration. This launch ushered in military developments, so many space programs were created to utilize the military potential of space. NASA has contributed much to the space programs while creating project Apollo. After the launch of Sputnik “NASA’s budget was increased almost 500 percent” while the budget increased by this massive amount, NASA’s lunar landing program

“Sputnik marked the beginning of the "space race," a period of nearly twenty years during which fierce US and Soviet competition spurred both countries to make rapid progress in aeronautic engineering,” (Lee). This period of time birthed a new program from the American government, called the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. NASA has been building rockets, training astronauts, and studying space for the benefit of science, the government, and the people of America since 1958. Unfortunately, many people don't realize how important NASA is, and there have been efforts made to stop the government from funding NASA. This program is essential for increasing knowledge of outer space, protecting planet Earth, and creating

President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved a plan to orbit a scientific satellite as part of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) for the period July 1, 1957 to December 31,1958. Quickly, the Soviet Union jumped in, announcing plans to orbit its own satellite. On July 29, 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration agency changed the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) which was a U.S. federal agency founded on March 3, 1915 to promote aeronautical research. On October 1st the agency was dissolved, and the staff formed the core of the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Nasa is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the Space Launch System and Commercial Crew vehicles. Nasa has also taught us a lot of incredible things about space exploration. NASA has invented all sorts of technology to solve the peculiar problems of space

As a consequence of the tensions between the superpowers, "NASA's birth was directly related to the pressures of national defense." (Garber and Launius, 2005). The launch of the Soviet spacecraft created an idea in the United States that the Soviets were far more technologically advanced. To counter this thinking, the US government created NASA and it marked the beginning of the space race. The reasons for the formation of NASA listed in the National Aeronautics and Space Act differ from the primary reason listed above. In the bill, it states the space program will contribute to the following objectives: "The expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space; The improvement of the usefulness, performance, speed, safety, and efficiency of aeronautical and space vehicles; The development and operation of vehicles capable of carrying instruments, equipment, supplies and living organisms through space; The establishment of long-range studies of the potential benefits to be gained from, the opportunities for, and the problems involved in the utilization of aeronautical and space activities for peaceful and scientific purposes." (National Aeronautics and Space Act, 1958). Though these reasons differed from the primary force behind the creation of the agency, all were factors to decide upon its formation.

“The mission of the SBIR program is to support scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of Federal research funds in critical American priorities to build a strong national economy. The program’s goals are four: 1) Stimulate technological innovation, 2) meet Federal research and development needs, 3) foster and encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by socially and economically disadvantaged persons, 4) increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal research and development

Apart spending money, exploration of space has actually boosted the economy by creating more jobs. A study by Midwest Research Institute suggests that space research expenditures and our economy is strongly related, and is mutually beneficial to each other. Each dollar that have been spent on space exploration returns an average of over seven dollars in gross national product over an eighteen-year period following the expenditure. Another study of the macroeconomic impact of NASA research programs involving the relationship between NASA’s Space Shuttle program and employment California conducted by the Space Division of Rockwell International used an econometric model and estimated that the Space Shuttle program had generated an employment