Do We Need More Space

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Do We Need More Space

Do we need more space?

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA for short, plays a necessary and vital role in human life. It provides economic stability for the country, the common-day luxuries we have all come to expect, medical discoveries and advances, an insurance policy for the planet, and fulfills mankind's eternal desire for exploration. Though there are many critics of the federally-funded space program, it indeed plays a central role in both the history and the future of the country.

The space program is a major component in our country's economic stability. The industry generates more than $40 billion in annual exports, and almost $30 billion in positive balance of trade each year. (FAQs 1) The space program also supports nearly one million jobs. (FAQs 1) Yet, NASA's funding represents only about one penny out of every dollar in the US federal budget. This is down from a peak of about four cents during the height of the Apollo program in the late 1960's. (FAQs 1) The dissolution of NASA, along with destroying these one million jobs, would cost the country approximately $70 billion in revenue each year. New industries have been built on the technology that made space exploration possible, including personal computers, advanced medical equipment, and high-tech communications. NASA's research and development generates jobs, demand for goods and services, and new opportunities for further research and development. The space program had and continues to be a strong influence on the economics and prosperity of the country. The applications of the space program have a profound effect on human life as we know it. In just a few short years, our lives have been significantly changed by space technology. The space program is responsible for the orbiting spacecraft that transmit information such as phone calls and television signals around the globe with speed and precision. Other satellites monitor the weather, and the world wide condition of the atmosphere. This provides advance warnings of major, possibly catastrophic, weather phenomena. Along with data on current weather patterns, satellites can forecast problems with the atmosphere that may create problems in the future. Present day satellite-based navigation systems aboard planes and boats enable people to determine their exact locatio...

... middle of paper ...

... Mars Climate Orbiter last September, and the Mars Polar Lander last December, left the space agency vulnerable to attacks by critics. But the fact still remains; we are making progress. As one unnamed reader of Newsweek magazine said, "Christopher Columbus had a hard time raising funds from the King of Spain, too. But who, today, would argue that his effort was not worthwhile?" (Newsweek 1) The space program does cost taxpayer money. But the program has many more positive effects on the country to stop federal funding. It provides economic stability, necessary communications, medical advances, insurance and fulfills the need for advancement and exploration.

Works Cited

1. "Mars: To Go or Not to Go" Newsweek 10 Jan. 2000. 2 Feb. 2000.

2. Petit, Charles W. "The risky mission to Mars" U.S. News and World Report 13 Dec.

1999. 14 Feb 2000.

3. "Frequently Asked Questions: Why NASA?" NASA Online 26 Feb. 2000

4. Engdahl, Sylvia. "My Views on the Importance of Space" 14 Feb. 2000

5. Visual Sciences Department website. 26 Feb. 2000

6. Department of Immunology website. 26 Feb. 2000

7. Calcium and Bone Department website. 26 Feb. 2000

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