The Importance Of NASA Funding

The Contemporary Importance of NASA Funding This year, 2016, is the 57th anniversary of NASA, or, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. In those 57 years, NASA has accomplished a lot; landing humans on the moon, sending robots to mars, amongst many other feats. Whilst these things once seemed impossible, more and more so they're becoming standard things to NASA. Despite this, many people nowadays feel that government money spent on NASA is a waste of funding, and they don't fully understand the full benefits that NASA provides. There are three main areas where NASAs importance can be seen; their inspiration of the people, the economic return of funding spent on them, and also in the innovations that they make that end up influencing day to day life for everyone on Earth. Probably the most obvious benefit to space travel is the awe that it inspires within not just any single country, but world wide. When asked why humans explore, Joan Vernikos, former director for NASA'S Life Science division, had this to say: "Exploration is intrinsic to our nature. It is the contest between man and nature mixed with the primal desire to conquer. It fuels curiosity, inspiration and creativity" (Dubner, 2008). It is well known that the 'Space Race' of the 1950s sparked a large sense of …show more content…
Contrary to this claim, it actually can be seen that NASA invigorates the economy, instead of being a waste. "Current estimates say for every dollar we spend on the space program, the U.S. economy receives about $8 of economic benefit" writes Nancy Atkinson, a correspondent for Universe Today. People often forget that when money is put into the space program, that same money doesn't just disappear into space. That money is spent here on Earth, and goes back to the people here as