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
American citizens are not the only ones who will benefit from privatized space programs. The United States government would save tremendous amounts of money as well. Funding cuts have already been placed on NASA, limiting its capabilities for advancing. For instance, American astronauts cannot even reach their space stations alone; they require the assistance of the Russian space program. This is not the iconic space program that the United States deserves. If space travel were to become more prevalent through privately owned companies, NASA would not have to pay other countries to accomplish something as simple as reaching Earth’s orbit. With proper regulations in place, astronauts working for NASA would be able to travel to and from the ISS and other stations within their country. Though NASA can never be replaced, private companies would be capable of greater projects. With more being accomplished without government assistance, cuts could effectively be made without limiting the American success.
The space race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union that occurred during the Cold War. They competed for dominance in space technology and spaceflight, which spurred many significant inventions and events. Some of these inventions and events include the first-ever landing on the moon, the first artificial satellite to be launched into the Earth’s orbit, the establishment of NASA, the invention of the microprocessor computer, the invention of satellite communication technology, and other direct and indirect impacts. Each of the different events and inventions that spawned from the space race have had significant impacts on the United States economy.
To conclude my argument I can definitely say that space exploration is worth the cost. It generates wealth for America and can broaden the knowledge of many people across the country. As Kennedy said in his speech, “...we shall climb this wall with safety and speed and we shall explore the wonders on the other side.” With all the progress that has been made, humans can decide that space is indeed a
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
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
American citizens have to pay taxes and some of that money is going towards space exploration. With a 12.7 trillion national debt and high unemployment in the United States, Americans simply aren’t willing to invest in human spaceflight right now (Naeye). America is not in a financially stable place and people feel the money should be used to do more useful things such as funding schools and repairing roads. However, American citizens are only having to pay 33 dollars a year to fund these programs (Life’s Little Mysteries Staff). Also, exploring space is very useful because exploring space has helped scientists learn many facts about all the planets, suns, and moons in the solar system plus about the other systems out
There are also many tangible benefits. Investment in space exploration results in new technologies that help people everyday, such as medical technologies. This can even include relatively mundane things, like cordless power drills, a by-product of the Apollo missions. Every dollar invested in NASA has yielded an economic return of $12. Not only does investment in space help people in our daily lives, but it also helps our national defense. Having a commanding presence in space helps keep us safe from adversaries through the use of satellites and other technological advancements. This has the nice effect of bolstering our military with unrivaled technological achievement, so it can also be seen as investment in our military, one of your campaign promises. I know if anyone can get action done on this, it's you. I hope you consider this when you submit your budget to Congress each
The world today revolves around technology and is in an ever upward spiraling path of new advancements. This path is now at what some people call the “final frontier”, or the space age. The discoveries being made on this front are overwhelming in comparison to the technology that the world had only twenty years ago. Space exploration was once left up to the governments, as they battled to be the first country in space, but with national debts raising and the cuts made in response, space exploration is beginning to become new grounds for private business owners. Private companies are already beginning to send off rockets at a fraction of the cost that government does, but if more money was put into the government space program, then they
The high cost of a National Space Program is the main reason I consider space exploration as a con. Billions of dollars are spent just simply funding the space program exploration. “Spending so much money on space exploration is not seen as the best use of public funds.” I believe there are many things that this money could be used for instead of exploration. Helping kids in poverty, schooling, and different foundations that help with hospital expenses are things this money could be spent on.
Investing in space exploration could do many things for our country. It would create jobs and put many jobs in higher demand. Creating many high paying jobs could help our economy skyrocket. The space program has many jobs to offer , like engineering, accounting, biology, computer science, meteorology, budget analyst, contract specialist, public affairs specialist, electronics technician, and much much more.
The mysterious vastness beyond Earth has allured many scientists to explore and contribute much of their effort to the understanding of space. Although humans have been looking up at space for thousands of years, the physical exploration of this frontier has been only going on for the past few decades. Our current understanding of space is unparalleled to any time before in our history, but we still only know a small fraction of what there is to learn. Governments around the world spend about $40 billion dollars a year (Rockefeller, 2010) hoping to undertake tasks such as “human exploration of the solar system” to discovering the origins of life itself (Tatarewicz, 2009, p. 531). Recently, the private sector has also shown interest in space exploration in order to engage in profitable activities such as harnessing minerals from asteroids. Although it is easy to debate about the benefits and negatives of space exploration in its entirety, it is simpler focus on one aspect of it - the direct effect it has to those down on Earth. Rather than trying to decide whether or not going to other planets is worth it, this paper will argue about the value of the terrestrial benefits of space exploration. It is an important topic to think about as programs such as space exploration change lives and help acquire knowledge. Despite the large costs associated with space exploration, the multitude of discoveries in the past few decades has greatly improved daily life on Earth, the jobs the
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
Mankind has always been fascinated with exploring the unknown. From sailing to distant lands to someday setting foot on other planets, the spirit of exploration is the same. Bur now with the current economic situation and the high cost of sending people to space, NASA is being looked at as a way to free up some much needed funds. Although, there is many problems here on planet Earth that need addressing, the benefits of space exploration far out weight the disadvantages. Space exploration has given us more advanced technology, advances in the medical field, and a boost to the economy and these facts cannot be disputed.
• Space tourism: providing services for humans to access and experience space for adventure and recreation