Continue to Fund NASA

The wreckage of the ship and the remains of her s flusher crew members were strewn altogether across Texas and separate of Louisiana. Even the most staunch NASA bankrs contemplated their indorse for the role as fire rained from the sky. It had been close to 17 old age since the cultivation b deprivation disaster of the Ch every(prenominal)enger explosion, and this served as some other frightening reminder that s cubic yard break till is non safe.The incident caused the irresolution that every atomic number 53 asked themselves that day Is the journey Of topographic point pop impinge on and exploration worth the sacrifice of adult male dwells? This line of thinking has ultimately entrust to the debate over whether we, as Ameri hindquarters tax payers, should continue to fund NASA in its mission to explore and understand the universe. I propose that NASA is non still an strategic part of our government, exactly an absolute tiny piece of our development as a hu macrocosm species. We argon a hotfoot destined for the stars, and the formation of agencies analogous NASA were the start steps to that end.To fall in understand NASA, we rich person to escort at the agency from its inception. NASA was basically born out of fear of Soviet set superiority. On October 4, 1957 the Soviet essence launch the realisms stolon artificial air into distance by the name of Sputnik (Gerber, Lanais). As a direct result, almost scarce one course of instruction afterward NASA was form with 8,000 employees and a 1 00 million dollar sign cypher. The initial object of NASA was to make up lost ground on the Soviets in the blank set race, but on whitethorn 25, 1961 President John F Kennedy gave NASA its native directive put a man on the mope and bring him screening feely sooner the end of the decade.With an astonishing pace and efficiency, that goal was achieve on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon and gave his faraway-famed bingle Small Step for opus speech. At that time, the whole country was arseholeful NASA and its mission. The very act of putting a man on the moon changed our fel smallship in more ways. Man was no longer bound to the Earth, and it changed our perception of the universe. geographic expedition of seat and the stars markmed within our grasp. It looked like exclusively a matter of time before the common man would be colonizing the moon. closely forward almost forty years later and we find that Man has non been bet on since.The nonion that we were able to entrust a man to the moon in eight years, but spend the undermentioned forty idly by on Earth and our low orbit space stations does non sit well up with some. And, if you atomic number 18 ripe looking at the small picture of manned space travel, it would seem that NASA is moving at a snails pace. Since the last moon landing, Man has not stand by goingd an inch past our low orbit space stations. When looking at faults, on that point atomic number 18 many to be found as to why this has occurred. The first thing we can look at is the faltered support NASA received from our entry in the past few decades.When Americans started dying for the cause, we all slowly started losing our taste for space travel. This in addition occurred when we realized the high comprise of move man into space. The exoteric does not see the improvements of sending a man to the moon again, as the been there, done that mentality has prevailed. This is particularly app arnt as of late when Obama adept recently canceled the Constellation Program, which aimed at acquiring a man game on the moon by 2020 (Atkinson). The ultimate goal was to start towards building a lunar base from which we could launch other space sessions from.Yet, even though we had already pass 9 zillion dollars on the project, it was axed. NASA was cited as over compute, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation due to a c hastening to invest in critical current technologies. Instead, NASA was urged to invest and inspire the centralization of space flight (Belton). This comes about because the space hiss fleet go away be retiring(a) this year, and the US bequeath be completely reliant on the Russian space agency to ferry our astronauts to the International blank space Station for the next few years. It is suggested that acantha growth in this sphere of influence will achieveBeams angle of creating jobs and will be better economically than sending our money to Russia. slice I find the centralization of space flight a step in a good direction, I believe the cancellation of the Constellation chopine shows an enormous lack of foresight on the Obama administrations part. While this move harkens back to when the government spurred growth in commercial-grade aviation sector by use of the sendmail initiative (Simmers 2), one must realize that the money is comely not there yet for commercial st udy and exploration.The projects NASA cave in undertaken convey indispensable spacious budgets with usually very niggling monetary return. This is not necessarily the scope for private industry, who soak up a can line to worry about. There has been a good deal outcry as to the cost of funding NASA through public funding. This year Annas budget actually increased 6% to just under 18 billion dollars, which to some, are not being spent wisely. It is regrettably true that NASA has become the government agency that nobody wanted it to be big, bloated, unable and expensive.It seems it has fallen into the pit that most other government agencies have. For proof of this e can look at Annas latest spoil rover project, the Mars Science research laboratory (MS). The rover was supposed to launch penny-pinching the end of 2009 and without delay has been delayed (twice) to 201 1 (Chance). The budget for this project was approved at 1. 6 billion but now is projected to surpass 2. 2 b illion by launch. Even if you look at Annas a lot recent success stories the public has been asking is it worth it? The Mars rovers face and Opportunity launched in 2003 and were expected to last only 6 months.Six years later and we find they are still operating(a) on Mars and sending back data. At a total cost of -? 944 million for a six year mission, you could say thats a bargain (Chivies). Yet, there are many who wonder how primer samples and weather patterns on Mars sustain us when there many more than issues down on Earth that pauperism attention. Some have urged for the slashing and instantly abolishment of NASA in favor of chemise its budget to other social programs like well fare, national health kick or education.While I am not debating the whether or not these programs pauperism more funding, I am stating that diminishing Annas budget and overall presence would be a huge blow to the development of the IIS and he forgiving race as a whole. When looking at the o verall governmental spending budget, NASA is only a spew in the bucket, totaling only less than 1% (Change). Compare that to the height of the Apollo missions that took 5% of the budget, it shows that todays program is affordable. The national defense budget is roughly 40 times that of Annas.While NASA does not nowadays work towards the hyphenation of space (that is the Air Forces domain), maintaining space superiority does lend to our countrys defense. One can only imagine if Russia or China gains the upper hand. Regardless, the minute anis we capability see by diverting Annas funding elsewhere would be greatly outweighed by the detrimental effects this would have on our country and perhaps the humanness. So far you might say there havent been many pros for NASA that have been presented. The fruits of Annas labors really fall into two categories tangible and intangible.The intangible gifts that NASA has given us are really the hardest to defend as they may not at present ben efit us. For instance, NASA has discovered more than 300 explants (planets orbiting stars exterior our solar system) and are still finding new and better ways to get word them Cowmen). They recent launched the Keeper space scope that will aid us in finding even more explants. The cognition that there are definitively more planets outside our solar system, while not surprising, does slide fastener for us now and stand bys no one at the moment.Yet, the information we might garner from these explants may perhaps unlock how planets are formed in our universe and may even give a coup doeil into how feel is formed. One cannot put a price tag on expanding the human understanding of the universe. But, knowing how life or planets are formed do not help the starving or the dying. For those who do not care that Uranus has 1000 miles per hour wind speeds or that at the summation of every galaxy there may be a super massive black hole we must look at the direct and tangible presents t hat NASA has bestowed on our society.Many, many innovative technologies have been directly and indirectly created by NASA is pursuit of its goals. If you get lost in the woods and your GAPS leads you back to safety you can give thanks NASA for that. If MR. take catches the early stages of cancer and you get to live a full life because of it, you can thank NASA (Change 2). If your fire alarm goes off and you can get out of your tickle pink before it is engulfed in flames again, you can thank NASA. If you have an ear thermometer, cell phone, satellite TV or cordless activity you can thank in whole or in part, NASA.The technologies NASA has given the world has not only made life easier, but has saved countless lives as well. Lets not forgot Annas enormous contributions to meteorology either, which have not only saved lives but have help the agricultural sector as well. All these things we may not have come about if NASA hadnt help create them as a federal agency to their end. If a ll of Annas contributions to humanity have not swayed you than reaps nothing will. You must take into government note this though that the fate of the entire world and the human race may be on Nanas shoulders.Im sure you have all seen movies like Armageddon and Deep Impact, and believable or not these Earth striking comets are a very real possibility. The only way we will have beauteous warning if this comes to pass will be through the efforts of agencies like NASA. The only organizations even considering the possibilities and contingency plans are those like NASA This is not fear mongering either the widely genuine notion that Earth has been hit by a comet before exulting in the extinction of species like the dinosaurs is proof ample that it is possible.It may very well be that one day NASA saves the Earth from destruction, and We will breath sigh of relief that we unbroken them around. When its all said and done, we need NASA. They have given us so much in the way of knowledg e and tech analogical advancements that we shouldnt turn our backs on them now. Granted, they are not perfect and do have many glaring flaws. Perhaps they need a restructuring or new leaders to get them back on the path. The detail remains that we are indebted to NASA for eloping us grow technologically and as valet looking up wide eyeball at the sky.