NASA Budget Essay

Improved Essays
The entire universe is 45 billion light years, and humans have only explored 0.032 light years of it (“NASA Book”). This brings the percentage of our universe explored to less than one billionth of a percent (“NASA Book”). Some of the general public are satisfied with this amount of exploration and are not willing to give more funds to NASA because they believe it’s budget is large enough. However, there are a plethora of people who disagree. These people strongly believe in expanding NASA’s recently decreased budget, which would allow for further exploration to take place in the hopes of achieving new levels of discovery. NASA spends an exorbitant amount of money each year on space exploration, but the possible benefits outweigh the government …show more content…
By 1972, it’s budget was cut to 3.4 billion dollars. (“NASA’s Shuttle”). This loss of 2.5 billion dollars of their budget comes at a great cost when NASA tries to pay for multiple missions and taxpayers are reluctant to give more funds. In fact, “It wasn’t the space shuttle that was preventing us from exploring further,” said space history expert Robert Pearlman, “It was the lack of political will to give NASA more money.” (“NASA’s Shuttle”). The company is forced to make sacrifices when it comes to money. One of the many trips NASA has planned is the legendary journey to Mars. They planned to build a space shuttle and a space station. The space station would be used as a stopping place for shuttles returning from the moon, and eventually, from Mars. Regretfully, the original idea of space missions was abandoned after the decision to end moon missions was finalized in 1972 (Kavanagh). This decision postponed many proposed plans for exploration. More recently, on October 31st, 2014, the Virgin Galactic spacecraft, intended to take tourists to the space station, crashed, killing one of the pilots (Davenport). The crash resulted in a setback for spacecraft technology as manufacturers diagnosed the problem. In spite of recent disasters, space exploration has played a huge role in shaping the history of the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The modern times has seen even more NASA budget cuts and a rise in private contractors looking to space. The budget cuts may even be costing the US more than its saving them. A writer from the washington post says “Since the shuttle 's retirement, the United States has been forced to rely on Russia to take its astronauts to the station, an expensive and troubling arrangement that now costs $76 million per seat” (Davenport). There are multiple astronauts on the space station with multiple launches a year, the price of using rockets could severely add up. Most recently in the bid for cheaper space travel are the contracting of private corporations.…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Jfk Space Race Analysis

    • 2213 Words
    • 9 Pages

    I. Political and Economic Situations surrounding the Space Race in America “The good news for space exploration in general is that public opinion favors it – but only when not taking economic costs and budgetary spending into consideration.” (Hsu) Setting up the backdrop for the rise of the space program simultaneously builds the opposing argument for its continuation past 1969 as well. As culturally beneficial as it eventually resulted to be, it can be widely agreed that the initialization of the race to the moon was not sparked by human curiosity itself. The primary motivator for initial American exploration into space was a silver beach-ball sized hunk of metal called Sputnik. Normally a Russian ball made of metal wouldn’t unnerve anyone-…

    • 2213 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    All have different views and opinions on the universe and the study of the cosmos. Some eagerly learn all they can about the universe, whilst others prefer to focus on the events right in front of them. The pros and cons to having a wide understanding and perspective of the universe vary depending on prior knowledge and opinions. While some would rather halt space exploration entirely, many still hunger and yearn to learn more about the universe around them. The human race needs to gain more knowledge of space with a new perspective to better understand their past, home, and universe.…

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We should increase Nasa 's budget. But to understand why we should do that we have to take a look at the…

    • 1507 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A major problem in the American government is facing whether or not to fund space programs such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Funding NASA is the smart choice when thinking of the future of America’s society. America must realize that funding NASA is slowly becoming more and more of a necessity. The Earth deteriorating may not be apparent now, but in a few thousand or hundred thousand years’ science tells us that it will an issue. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will not only guarantee the extension of human life, but they are providing beneficial resources and technology.…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Space Debate Whether or not America should be funding space exploration, namely the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), does not really get debated much. However, when this subject is brought into question people tend to take a strict stance on one side or the other. It is easy to dismiss the entire objective of putting man in space as a waste of time and resources, but that could not be further from the truth. Space exploration stimulates technological innovation and provides a clear path for economic growth. Defunding NASA would be counter productive and only slow America's overall long-term economic progress; if anything NASA's budget should be increased rather than decreased.…

    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Space Race Cost

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The cost of human life during the Space Race between the United States and Russia was the most important in getting a man to the moon. In 1967, a fire exploded in the cabin, killing Lieut. Colonel Virgil Grissom, Lieut. Colonel Edward White, and Lieut.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Our Nation's Future

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In "Space Technology: A Critical Investment for Our Nation's Future," Bobby Braun creates a persuasive proposition that the US government should continue to invest in the NASA program. He is trying to convince his readers that if the US were to still invest in NASA, there could be a greater future with new and improved research. Tell me who wouldn’t want to know what other great discoveries there is still to discover and research from the great beyond meaning “space”? Being able to research new things in the future can bring great contributions to this nation’s future generations. Dreaming big and beyond the reach of our eyes is what NASA could offer in a near future.…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lauren O’Dell EH 101 Mrs. Sechrest Reporting Essay October 21, 2015 Space Race to Mars The Space Race sparked off in the late 1950’s. However, the spark to the race began with this quote from John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Speech; “. . . By the end of the decade we will have a man on the moon!”…

    • 1623 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    NASA Budget

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many congressmen fell spending billions in tax dollars on unneeded NASA deep space exploration is a waste. Billions of dollars that the new budget saves can be used towards the nation’s poor, the nation’s healthcare system and helping the nation’s educational system. NASA and its contractors have wasted billions of dollars on the shuttle and other space programs despite “warning after warning by Government inspectors that such heavy losses were occurring through bad management” (Gingrich 3). Instead of asking for more funds for its deep space exploration, NASA should focus on rebuilding its management team and locate more funds from the given budget by eliminating funds for its unnecessary missions and research. It is necessary for the congress to prioritize funding towards helping the nation’s poor, the healthcare system and the educational system instead of wasting the tax dollars on unnecessary…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    NASA Budget Essay

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Take the nearest one dollar bill available to you and imagine it being cut into a hundred squares. Now picture yourself cutting halfway into a single one of those squares, you wouldn't even touch the ink yet. Thats the annual budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, more commonly known as NASA, resting at one half of one percent of the US tax dollar. Therefore, I am calling on Trump’s administration and the United States Congress to increase NASA’s funding from its current level, to at least one percent of the annual budget. NASA contributes massive amounts of economic, technological, and inspirational capital to our nation, and I believe their budget should reflect their importance to our modern day society.…

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Over the last few decades, our country has been spending a lot of time and money in space exploration, and all that time, money, and energy spent might go down the drain if it fails. But, I think that even though exploring is very risky and can end up badly, it is worth the cost of time, money, and lives lost. Even though it’s risky, exploration gives you a memorable experience and the rewards of it definitely outweigh the risks.…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With the emergence of a new space race in recent years, the topic of space exploration has come under fierce scrutiny. Combustible claims are being thrown into the forges of debate from both the opposing side and those that fervently follow the exploits of the various space agencies. While both sides of this debate have various logical points, they both tend to follow the same well-traveled track. The opposing side of this argument tends to charge forth asking, why should we spend money on such an expensive endeavor when we have problems to solve right here on earth? Whereas the side in defiant favor of space exploration routinely counters with an argument that space exploration is an undertaking of rich discovery that benefits all of humanity in the long-run.…

    • 1585 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When you hear the word space exploration you automatically think of what is really out there or do other forms of life exist. One of the biggest achievements in American history is when NASA’s Apollo 11 first touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969. As Neil Armstrong was the first American to ever step foot onto the moon, but now the space program may be in jeopardy due to significant budget cuts. What would this mean to fellow Americans if space exploration were cut down or completely gotten rid of? Current budget cuts to the U.S. space program may reduce space exploration without regard to job creation and the benefit of acquiring a greater knowledge of outer space.…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Should Money be spent on Space Exploration? It would be advisable that more money should be invested into NASA for space exploration purposes. The reason why this would be a good idea is because with NASA focusing on Space exploration they would have to find ways to make stronger and faster rockets and more filling meals for long space flights. In this essay, I will examine what NASA has done for humanity as well as what their primary goal is, additionally I will examine why NASA should get more funding as well as the risks involved, risks that can be fix with more study and funding.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays