Space Technolgy Programs

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

For many years humans have been exploring space to discover the unknown and fuel their curious and adventurous nature, but the decision of whether space exploration is worth the cost is strongly debated. Due to various arguments and evidence space exploration is strongly supported is proven to be worth the cost. Some of these reasons include space exploration being able to expand our knowledge and it being able to generate wealth. With these reasons the argument of whether space exploration is worth the risk can be easily decided.

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.

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

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.

“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.

The concept of space exploration was first introduced to the American public in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy famously stood before congress and vowed that America would put a man on the moon “within the decade.” With hopes of defeating the Soviet Union in the “Space Race” and gaining a leg-up in the Cold War, NASA funding reached its all-time high in 1965-1966 when about four percent of the federal budget was devoted to exploring space. Since then however, funding dedicated to exploring space has nose-dived to about one-half of a percent of the federal budget (Tyson), with plans to cut that figure by an additional $260 million in 2017 (cite NASA funding cuts). Experts in the space-sciences field argue that increased funding in space exploration would re-ignite the American economy and return America to the scientific prominence it was once known for, while, on the other end of the spectrum, naysayers suggest that exploring space is an economic sink-hole that the United States can no longer afford to deposit to given its own earth-bound troubles.

Space exploration funding has been drastically reduced since the conclusion of the Space Race. Even though the Space Race is no longer relevant, it has positively affected human civilization, and we should continue to invest in space exploration to continue this trend. The first and primary reason we should continue to work with space is to aid industries on earth. Most notable is the use of satellites for purposes such as commercial communications, the GPS system, and meteorology. The second reason is because humans have an inherent hunger for knowledge, and space funding helps us develop technology for seeing what’s beyond earth. Space probes such as New Horizons and telescopes such as the James Webb Telescope have expanded our knowledge

Similar to the first source from NASA, Ernst Stuhlinger, then the Associate Director of Science at NASA, responded to this question personally by writing a long detailed letter in 1970. In his letter, Stuhlinger speaks of how he believes that space exploration “in the long run, will contribute more to the solution of these grave problems we are facing here on earth” today. In addition, Stuhlinger uses logistical data by explaining how the United States use around “200 billion dollars a year” and how only “1.6% of this national budget was allocated to space exploration this year.” If this was to be put in the current time period, then space exploration would only be using “0.52 % of the national budget”3. Overall, Stuhlinger focuses on answering

In 1957 the first successful being put into outer space was a chimp, named Laika. The early 1960s brought the first man and woman in space, and eventually by the end Armstrong walked on the moon. The 70s brought asteroid belt voyagers, space stations, and the golden record. The 80s and 90s delivered the Hubble Space Telescope, talk of civilizing anything but earth, and in the early 2000s came the idea of privatizing space travel. The debate is, what have we done in the last ten years? Has NASA’s endeavours been to our liking? How should we pay for this exploration, should it be taxes, the government, private endeavours? And what benefit does it give us? There are varying perspectives with varying motivations. Some see NASA space exploration as a not so pressing matter, and so a waste of time and money. Others disagree, and view NASA as an

They claim they need every penny they can get in these rough times. The economy is doing poorly, and government money is better spent elsewhere, and apparently they feel that government money would be better spent outside of programs like NASA. However, there are many sources that directly counter this opinion, claiming that NASA is an investment to stimulate the economy, and not just money being “shot into space”. The cost of NASA, as is true of almost any government agency, is worth it, because it can benefit the economy directly through the purchase of goods and creation of jobs, and indirectly by inspiring people in industries that spawn from invented technologies or materials. Many companies have gone on to be very successful private businesses after working with materials invented by NASA. The Tempur-Pedic mattress company got its start when NASA scientists wanted to provide comfortable seating for pilots that needed to remain in one position for a long time. There are many cases like these in which niches have been created for companies due to progress made at

You hear a lot of people saying that space research is cool but it is typically a waste of money and valuable resources that could be used to benefit our own planet and the many problems that we have all over earth today. But I completely, one hundred percent agree on the further exploration of space for different reasons such as: we are living in a virtual age where everything is done with smart phones and computers and physical exploration is much needed. Second it can actually help the economy in multiple ways not just waste money. Lastly It also guarantees the development of good technology, not only with companies, but among the younger people who need to be inspired through the educational systems we have in America.

This peer-reviewed journal article talks about the positive consequences of developments in future space exploration in scientific perspective. The author states the development of future space exploration by using resources from the solar system will produce varies beneficial results, such as space tourism, asteroid resources, and so on. The main beneficiary among all the others is science. Supported by space resources, the growth of space economy can provide the cost of building scientific instruments, outposts, and infrastructures in space. Improvement in scientific technology leads to further discoveries and knowledge. Which shows the symbiotic relationship existed between science and space resources.

Humans have always been interested in space and the wonder in which it may hold. In the past, humans worshiped the stars as if they were gods while also studying their position to give them guidance for their lives. Their interested in space has fathered the desire to know more. Today, space has been seen by many as the new frontier or the home beyond earth. Society have even taken a step forward through the creation of stories in books and movies based of the idea of humans living in space and the present of alliances. Yet there is still controversy on the need to continue space exploration when our own planet has so many detrimental problems. There is an ongoing debate on whether not the money used for space travel could be better beneficially use for other causes. It is true that space exploration costs billions of dollars a year alone according to NASA current budget, which is constantly increasing. However, what many refuses to understand is that without space exploration many of the innovations that we have today would not have existed. While there have been, many failed attempts involving space exploration that has caused a tremendous amount of money to go down the drain. However, many people fail to realize the benefits of space exploration and the possible future it may