U.s. Federal Government Funds The National Aeronautics And Space Administration

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.

With the threat of Congress cutting NASA 's budget, the United State 's sixty year preeminence in space exploration is in serious peril..

　　President Ronald Reagan inherited the space policy of his predecessor, Jimmy Carter and was not satisfied with its current objectives and lack of direction (Logsdon, 1995). He put together a transition team to draft a new chapter for NASA which was left in an “untenable position” by Carter’s lack of direction for the agency. The NASA transition team leader, George Low, remarked that NASA can be “the best in American accomplishment and inspiration for all citizens” (Logsdon, 1995). The team provided input to Reagan that would drive space policy during his eight year tenure.

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 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.

“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

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

President John F. Kennedy, in an address to Congress in 1961, said “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth” (“Excerpt from an Address”). He inspired people to push the limits of what was possible, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) finally completed his challenge eight years later. The financial burden of such space programs was balanced by an intense desire to learn and discover, which led to advancements across all areas of life. Today, in a time of federal financial struggles, some are calling for an end to NASA’s expensive programs. However, the United States should continue to fund them

Researching the topic of NASA’s budget presented alarming evidence about the shrinking government funding that the agency receives. According to “NASA Budget”, published in 2012, the following monetary amounts show the decrease in the amount of funding the National Government is providing NASA “$553.8 million in fiscal 1995, $155.5 million in fiscal 1996, $131.7 million in fiscal 1997, $61 million in fiscal 1998, $51.3 million in fiscal 2000, $10.8 million in fiscal 2004”. The article shows how the funding drastically decreased over a series of nine years. The source gives a different perspective, not from an individual that works out at

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government dedicated to space research and exploration. Since its launch by then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958, the world has come to owe a great deal to NASA for its advances in human curiosity and discovery. NASA requires research and collaboration on a global level, and employs highly-skilled people from a diverse range of backgrounds, including the military, medicine, and various science and engineering fields. It has been esteemed for decades as a leading authority on space science, making breakthroughs including exploring the geology and meteorology of planets and moons, viewing star clusters and neighboring galaxies, participating in the International Space Station, and providing compelling insight on the Earth’s climate in the face of climate change. Recently, the United States federal budget plan for 2017 has been released that significantly lowers NASA’s funding, and it is very problematic. This cut in spending will halt some of the agency’s finest efforts that will benefit the world in a remarkable way. Upon understanding the great work that NASA has achieved, not only should the government not cut spending on the space agency, but increase spending as one of the smartest investments the country has made.

“Space, the final frontier (Wise, Star Trek)” The goal of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before” (Star Trek). Since the moon landing in 1968, the federal government has consistently decreased funding for space exploration, with the exception of a small increase in the 1980’s to accommodate the shuttle program. If NASA was shut down entirely the last 60 years will have been a waste. Without this program, the development of life-saving, earth-saving, and space exploration technologies would not be possible. NASA leads the world in space exploration and aeronautics engineering, helps maintain healthy

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

NASA’s space exploration programs should not justify the costs because there’s more cons to the issue than pros. NASA’s programs are really costly. Some people might argue that NASA programs provide opportunities to travel and furthermore they endanger the lives of the astronauts. It additionally causes controversy and disagreements within the

Space is often referred to as “The final frontier.” But it may stayed unexplored if a few select citizens have their way. Some concerned citizens are pushing for the removal of Space Exploration from our national budget.Lots of people who are against space exploration don’t understand how it benefits them and their families. Space Exploration needs to continue because it unifies and benefits many of the major countries of the world by delivering much needed scientific and medical advances.

Looking down the road, space exploration and the benefits it yields - in medicine and information technology - should not be overlooked,” said former Congressmen Bob Barr in regards to the importance of NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been a fantastic asset to the country since the Cold War, when it began to develop satellites for reconnaissance against the Soviets. In the many years after the Cold War, NASA’s science had helped mainly in the military, but now in other areas of life as well. The United States government should prioritize NASA because of technological advancements, economics benefits, enhancement of foreign relations, and human expansion.