Nas The Water Cycle And The Climate Impact On Humans

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.

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.

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 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.

Some citizens believe that NASA is a waste of time. Some would venture to say the program has “no practical use to mankind” and the $17 billion of taxpayers money is put towards failed projects and a hope to get to another planet (Government funding). Every time the program goes into space there is no guarantee they will find something new. Spending money on ineffective trips is pointless for the taxpayers; every time the astronauts go into space they go to the same places making no progress. Since the United States is tied with NASA, the program prevents branches of the government placing space work with another agency, which prevents progress with other space agencies (Government funding). Before going into space, NASA should try to solve problems on Earth first. Such as making a car that doesn’t use gas or pollute the air, finding ways to fix the ozone layer, making less pollution by using renewable resources. Instead of going to Mars, solving issues such as global warming is very important to the Earth. Global warming and climate changes are very important to keeping the Earth a safe, healthy place to live. With the debt America is already in, spending more money to send people on the same missions into space over and over again is just spending more money than the States cannot

“There is perhaps no better a demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.” Carl Sagan said this after seeing a picture of the Earth taken from the Voyager 1. In the image there is a tiny little speck that is barely noticeable unless it is pointed out. That little speck is our planet.Government spending on NASA has helped to achieve this and it allows us to see things about our universe that we would have never have had been able to see before. NASA funding can be beneficial because it shows us things about our universe that we have never known and things we would have never thought to explore.This is what NASA is trying to accomplish. However NASA funding can be detrimental because it costs more and more each year and it pushes us into even more debt than what we are already in. This can contribute to the downfall of the economy and the nation as a whole because of the increase in spending, and will lead to cuts in other more crucial parts of the government and the economy where the money would be better spent. Government funding for NASA is a benefit to society but, it is also a detriment to society as well.

Elon Musk, Esquire.com’s 37th most influential person, says, ”Sooner or later, we must expand life beyond our little blue mud ball—or go extinct.” (“Elon Musk - Entrepreneur on the grandest scale”). If this statement about the future of the human race isn’t absolutely terrifying then a reevaluation of your major concerns is necessary because you are missing the ingrained human instinct of survival. While the impending doom of Earth and everyone on it should be an issue of the utmost importance, the voting population and Congress of the United States seem to disagree. This opinion is apparent when looking at the funding of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, more commonly known as NASA. The $18.01 billion budget was approved by Senate for the fiscal year of 2015 and although this is an enormous amount of money, it is only 0.46% of the $3.90 trillion annual expenses of the US federal government (“Fiscal Year 2015 Budget of the U.S. Government” 174). Obviously there is more important uses of the budget than funding space exploration, but sadly, this is not always the case. The Citizens Against Government Waste creates a yearly “Prime Cut” report that details largely ineffective government programs that could be eliminated. This year’s report suggests a possibility of around $648 billion in savings for 2015. A few examples of these suggested cuts involve the $1.1 million funding for USAID staff parties, incredibly wasteful loans and grants for utilities such as

As can be seen in Figure A below, NASA’s costs were extremely low compared to almost every other government program. Fifty times more money is allocated to social and educational programs than to NASA, and two years of national military spending alone exceed all of the money received by NASA since its creation fifty years ago. Not only does the space program’s funding pale in significance to the cost of mass weapons of destruction, it is also a fraction of the money we spend on Hollywood movies, fast food wrapping, beauty products, and wasted electricity every year. At the moment, NASA’s annual budget could be paid by an insignificant contribution from every American’s tax dollar: half a penny (Tyson). How much would you pay to send people to Mars? How much would you pay to support the dreams of tomorrow?Space exploration has been an easy target for budget cuts, because it is often expensive and the benefits are not immediately obvious. At some point our nation began to care more about saving and cutting taxes than exploring the universe. However, NASA is one of the few large agencies America has that are dedicated to our long-term future; the benefits are real and worth funding. In addition, the US aerospace industry generally generates an annual profit of 30 billion, on top of providing jobs for thousands of skilled workers and new innovations in science and technology that promote economic growth (“Fiscal”). Epic space adventures

Funding shouldn’t be cut from NASA because of all the good things they have done for space exploration. They could do so much more without the funding being cut.

The Space program contributes to many scientific advancements both medically and technologically. Many medical breakthroughs have been due, in part, to NASA’s research. For example, due to the program’s focus on robotics, NASA is an important force in developing artificial limbs, which have changed the lives of amputees and those confined to wheelchairs. Additionally, NASA’s technology is responsible for plenty of computer programs that people use on a daily basis. NASA has been responsible for these and many other breakthroughs in technology, and if the government funds the program the future possibilities are endless.

“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” stated, famous scientist, Bill Nye. For years, NASA has been working on new technology to get the humankind into the great beyond. There has been a great debate if NASA and other space programs are even worth putting a great deal funding into anymore. Trillions of dollars have been funneled into NASA and other space programs by the government. There are many people who argue that this funding is not necessary and should be put in other places like to fund for jobs or put into finding a cure for cancer. Space exploration has many benefits and should continued to be funded. Some benefits are that space exploration quenches humans thirst for knowledge, creates many advances in technology, and strengthens our economy.