The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, created to research and develop breakthroughs in space exploration, has strayed from its initial purpose of historical accomplishments, even so far as to become a hindrance to the social and economic life of Americans. For over 35 years, mankind has remained within Earth’s low orbit despite the billions of tax-payer dollars that are given to NASA. The leadership at NASA discourages privately funded industries to aid the “space race” and has claimed space as its domain. In addition, the government funded space program has a problem of over budgeting, not starting or finishing expensive projects, and working on pointless experiments. Space exploration began back in 1957 with Sputnik 1’s launch in October. Ever since then, NASA has only sent one group of men outside of Earth’s orbit to visit the moon. Compare this “advancement” in space travel to aviation. Beginning with Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic, the aviation industry has grown into an international business (Kay 2). The difference between the two is that in its youth, aviation was funded by private industries that developed new mechanisms. The only government funding aviation had involved “paying private pilots to deliver air mail” (“Do We Need NASA?”). NASA, by contrast, gets government funds from tax-payer’s pockets, and it does not get any support from private industries (“Do We Need NASA?”). In fact, NASA looks down upon private space engineering and travel. For example, millionaire Dennis Tito, a former NASA scientist, offered to pay twenty million dollars for a space flight to the American Space Station on a Russian spacecraft. Calling him “un-American”, administrator Dan Goldin publicly... ... middle of paper ... ...program, NASA must give aid to entrepreneurs and focus more on the research of space travel, rather than the actual development. Works Cited Easterbrook, Gregg. "How NASA Screwed Up." Wired News. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. . Kay, W. D. Defining NASA: The Historical Debate Over the Agency's Mission. Albany: State University of New York, 2005. Print. McCullagh, Declan. "Do We Need NASA?" CNET News. Web. 09 Mar. 2010. . Nelson, Don A. "NASA Oversight." Presidential Directive Oversight. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. . Pournelle, Jerry E. "WHY HAVE NASA?" CHAOS MANOR IN PERSPECTIVE. 16 Mar. 1995. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. .
This is because if we let them, another country can one-up us which in the end can lead to major problems for the U.S. The NASA program also gives us a whole new insight to how we see things and how we live our lives daily. For example Google Maps, which is used by many people, uses satellite that we get from having this program. However, some of the money used for this category can be taken and put into another category such as the FBI. “The FBI is the Federal Bureau of Investigation which operates field offices in 58 cities to combat terrorism and crime” (Document E).
There are many people who see space as the last and greatest frontier for humankind. There are many groups who are leading the way and NASA is one of them. But should our tax dollars be invested in such an idea? No, according to British history professor Jerry DeGroot. His thesis, in the article “is that United States should, a sensually, defund NASA. From what I can tell, he uses mainly pathos to try to sway his argument, leaving very little appeals to ethos and practically none to logos. I’m going to explore these three appeals, as well as many of the fallacies he uses within the piece.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was booming in the late 1960 's because the U.S. invested over 4.5 percent of the Federal Budget (Bolden). Unfortunately, in the recent years the Government has slashed funding for many of NASA’s projects in an attempt to cut back on the deficit and boost the economy. Despite the plummet in NASA 's budget, the program has proved that it 's prominence in the U.S., space programs like NASA continue to face difficulty in increasing its funds. Although, NASA leads Evidently, the government doesn 't think NASA is worth more than 0.47 percent of the federal budget. NASA is being underfunded and its funding should be substantially increased to make ends meet. This trend needs
middle of paper ... ...2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. The "NASA History" Congressional Digest 90.7 (2011): 196-224. Academic Search Premier -. Web.
McQuaid, Kim. The Space Age at the Grass Roots: NASA in Cleveland, 1958-1990. (2006): 114, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40643956 (accessed April 18, 2014).
Bill Nye, the “Science Guy,” asserts, “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.” The United States of America’s government is currently in an economic debt encompassing billions of US dollars. Unfortunately, the government has attempted to balance finances by cutting the funding for most programs, including NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA, in over half a century, has brought the most economic, technological, and social benefits than any other program held here in the USA, as well as any other extraterrestrial program in the world. The last thing this nation needs is the cutting of NASA finances. NASA should be receiving more funding because the Earth will not last forever and humans will need a place to live, there’s a curiosity within humans about the vast universe they live in, there is evidence to suggest life on other planets, the USA’s superpower status will be improved, and the economical income NASA brings is more efficient than any other governmental or educational program.
In the mid-1980’s, the shuttle space program was the focus of the political media since it had failed to deliver on its exp...
The National Academies Press (2012) NASA’s Strategic Direction and Need for a National Consensus retrieved from http//www.npa.edu/openbook.php?record_id=18248&
When talking about the current space program, Neil Degrasse Tyson once said, “I got angry with America, because advancing is not just something you do incrementally. You need innovation as well, so that your advances are revolutionary, not merely evolutionary” (Tyson 3). America used to have the top space program in the world. Being first to the moon excited the country and gave everyone a sense of pride and fulfillment. Lately, though, we have been falling behind in space exploration. A successful space program is needed in America, and here’s why: we are losing our grip on the title as the world superpower and a new age of economics and politics is coming faster than we are prepared for. To be prepared for this new age we need the funds,
It is within man’s blood and nature to explore, and space is our next New World. Man’s first achievement in space travel was the launch of the Sputnik on October 4, 1957. For the next decades, space travel was roaring like a rocket, fueled by man’s desire to explore, man’s desire for knowledge, and man’s desire to beat his enemies. However, these impulses have died out as the well of government funding has been diverted to wars and debts, and the interest of the American people has been diverted to wars and debts. Amidst all these issues it is debated as to whether or not space travel is worth the money and the attention of scientists, particularly since humanity faces so many issues on earth currently. However, because of the past inventions, current services, and future benefits, space travel is indeed worth the money and attention of governments and people. It is within our hands to control man’s advancement, and space travel is the next venue to do so.
NASA’s research and innovation looked promising, but it came at a cost. Money, resources, and spacecraft accidents, most famously Apollo 13 all hindered NASA’s research. In the 21st century, the debate over funding for NASA is at its peak since the birth of the organization in 1958, especially when there are numerous problems throughout the world. Is the money spent on space exploration worth the advantages and advances it contributes to society? When considering this topic, one might ask themselves, why explore space?
Detractors of public sector space agencies like NASA frequently argue that expending money and resources on sending humans into space is wasteful and irresponsible during shaky economic times. After all, in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau in recorded 46.2 million people in poverty, the largest number in the 52 years the figure has been published. Putting tax dollars into a shuttle and sending it on an extraplanetary voyage is uneconomical in the eyes of many. However, beneficial developments of the space program can be found in airports, hospitals, laboratories, and homes around the world. Foam created for protecting the outside of a shuttle passing through the harsh atmosphere has found use as a durable, light-weight molding material for artificial limbs. Research and development for NASA'S programs has parented a network of hundreds of communication satellites used around the world on a daily basis and monitored by NASA. Robotic arms used for repairs, maintenance, and hazardous labor in sp...
In the past 100 years, we have made much advancement in all areas of society. The way people live has changed drastically just in the past century. Technology in particular has advanced more in these last 100 years then all previous time combined. For example, because of the research done by many innovative and dedicated individuals such as the Wright Brothers who were the first to sustain flight in a powered airplane, we are able to fly all over the world in a matter of hours in jet propelled pressurized aircraft. One hundred years ago, the thought of man flying in a machine was insane. The Wright Brothers helped to realize the dream of manned flight. Many years later, after the idea of manned flight becoming a reality, space exploration was the next step. In 1969, many people did not believe what happened. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. They posted an American flag, explored, collected space rocks and came back home. Many Americans did not believe that the technology existed to go that far. Today, several missions a year are launched using manned space shuttles that can be flown back to earth like gliders and reused on future space missions.
The main argument against space travel is that the money used could be better put on other matters. This is, in fact, very untrue. Looking at NASA’s 2015 budget of $17.5 billion, it may seem like a lot, until you realize that the US military budget for 2014 was $581 billion (5). Furthermore, it was estimated that each dollar in NASA’s budget was equivalent to 8 – 10 dollars of economic benefit (6). If an organization can bring about economic value at 10 folds the original budget, it would be logical to continue funding it, if not increasing the funds.
Most people think that the costly downside to funding space exploration is a reason to avoid spending money on sciences and instead spend it on problems here on earth, but such funding for space exploration actually promotes economical as well as scientific benefits. Space exploration is an important expenditure for the high cost because of the potential for numerous benefits such as the possibility to find useful resources to cultivate, space exploration and satellites produce many thousands of jobs in our economy, and it creates and discovers newer and better technologies through research and development.