NASA Budget Cuts: Bad for America - Case Study Example

of the English of the Teacher 27 April NASA Budget Cuts - Bad for America In the recent times, a significant section of theAmerican population has come to think that investing resources and money in the space program does not need to be a government priority. Such views do pose many problems for NASA. The thing is that the political class acts a lot in consonance with what the masses think. Thereby the proliferation of the belief that money should not be spent on space programs could lead to significant cuts in the funding of NASA. Going by the current funding of NASA, the organization is already not in a position to finance many of its cherished projects. For instance the much famous mission to Mars is already in a danger of not receiving the desired funding and resources (Handberg 35). The thing is that those who think that NASA should be subjected to budget cuts do not understand the eventual benefits of funding investment in space programs. It is there lack of understanding that is causing their apathy towards NASA. The reality is the investing in NASA is not a big waste of money. NASA has already done much to better the lot of humanity with the funding it had already received. Though NASA does explore space, yet the projects it manages and researches have not merely to do with space. Many of the projects and technologies funded by NASA have done much good to the larger human existence (Manila Bulletin 7). The other thing is that the people who do not understand the significance of space exploration simply do not know as to the benefits that the nation will accrue if some of its cherished space programs turn out to be a success. Though the cause as to whether the funding of NASA needs to be cut has received much polarized support, yet the thing is that funding NASA is a step in the right direction and is bound to favor the national economy and scientific knowhow in the long run. The opposition to the funding of NASA is based on the misconception that NASA receives massive funding in the federal budgetary allocations. The thing is that though it seems to be so, yet nothing could be far from the truth. Actually speaking the federal investments in NASA are already not so big that they warrant massive cuts. The thing is that it is a misconception that NASA attracts massive government funding. The amount of money that the government actually dedicates to the space research is actually speaking not so big. Since the past few years, NASA has received much less than a miniscule 0.5 percent of the overall federal budget (Spotts 4). When compared to other federal budgetary allocations, one could readily understand the fact that the money government spends on NASA is already very small as compared to the other attributes it tends to support. For instance consider the fact that in the year 2013, the government invested double the amount in the department of justice as compared to the money it allocated to NASA (Spotts 4). In the same year the federal government apportioned three times the funds to the department of homeland security, to what is allocated to NASA (Spotts 4). It will indeed be amazing to know that in the year 2013, the department of defense received 35 times of the actual funding that the government provided to NASA (Spotts 4). So to begin with the perception that NASA is receiving way too much government funding is something that is wrong and misplaced. The reality is that NASA actually speaking does receive only a miniscule proportion of the funds that many other government departments tend to receive. The irony is that irrespective of such scarce resource allocations, NASA has not only been able to place the man on moon, but has also managed to run the best in the world space program (Byrnes 80). The rather worrisome thing is that the budget of NASA has systematically been contracting over the past few decades. The maximum resource allocation that NASA received was in 1966, when it received 9 times the relative budget allocation that it attracts today (Byrnes 80). Since then the government spending on NASA has been falling. Irrespective of such a small budget, NASA has been able to churn out technologies that have immensely benefited the world. The research and development initiatives conducted and managed by NASA though tend to focus on space research, but over time they have invented technologies that have done much good to humanity. The research projects of NASA as primarily focused on space, but the thing that needs to be understood is that NASA is not only about space. NASA also does focus on many associated technologies that are not merely required in space, but that have also made the US scientifically one of the most advanced nations in the world. NASA has invented many technologies that have proved to be of immense benefit to the mankind (Harrison 15). The research carried on by NASA has resulted in the creation of hundreds of people friendly applications that have benefitted the mankind. Such applications do include weather satellites that warn the people against the incoming weather phenomena like the hurricanes and cyclones and protect thousands of human lives, fire resistant technologies developed for the spacecrafts that do find application in an array of normal fire fighting gadgets, and many types of lasers and precision cutting instruments that are used by the surgeons today to save human lives (Wong 203). Yet, these are not the only amazing technologies that NASA has managed to produce over years and that too at a thin budget. To mention some of the amazing technologies produced by NASA that find human applications in the day to day life include, cordless tools, various types of heat sensing devices like ear thermometers, the radial tires, memory foam mattresses, crash protection technology that goes into the modern day air travel, the shock absorption technology used in the sports shoes, etc (The Futurist, 54). The scientific and technological research carried on by NASA and the outcome of this research is practically serving the entire humanity. The reality is that NASA has actually speaking filed zillions of new patents with the government and the technologies and gadgets churned out by NASA have turned out to be an integral aspect of the modern day living (The Futurist 54). It would not be wrong to say that had NASA not been there, the humanity in general and the United States of American in particular would never have been able to register the gargantuan progress that it has managed to evince. NASA is one of the reasons that this world is a much better place today than what it was a few decades ago. Cutting of the funding of NASA will certainly deprive the humanity of many useful and friendly technologies. Besides, the super power status of the US is largely facilitated by NASA. Irrespective of the contemporary global scenario going multi polar, it is still a fact that the United States of America is the lone surviving super power in the world. Though military prowess and economic resilience happen to be the primary attributes of any viable super power, yet space and technology happen to be the salient attributes that will govern the political and economic clout of any real super power in the future (Launius 136). It is not without a reason that the emerging powers like China, India, Russia, Brazil and even resource abundant Europe are pouring in large funds into the space research and technology. This is because these emerging powers are well aware that space technology will be the next practical frontier that will determine the political and economic clout of the nations. The nations today are well aware that space research will not only consolidate their hold over the space, but this will also enrich the life on earth in many abundant and fruitful ways (McCray 292). Thereby, at such a crucial junction, reducing funding to NASA will be really bad for America. Yet, there is no dearth of pundits who believe that NASA is utterly wasteful in the spending of funds allocated to it. The other thing is that it is really important for any nation to understand that sometimes it is necessary to invest money in such projects that promise of much return at a later stage. In that context it is a fact that space is a place that is full of much potential. The discoveries of the future will be made in the space. It may be some new element or a new way of tapping the energy. Space is a place that is indeed promising and full of much promise. In that context it is vital that the United States of America invest more money in space exploration by dedicating more funds to NASA in the space budget. For instance it is a theoretical reality that it is possible to travel faster than light. Money needs to be invested in new technologies that explore such possibilities and many other such possibilities. The things that may seem science fiction stuff today may constitute the reality in the times to come. Tomorrow it may get possible for the humanity to travel in space and to inhabit and colonize the various planets and space bodies. Today this may not seem to be a possible reality. But, in the times to come if organizations like NASA are given enough funds, it may get possible to travel in space and live on planets and meteorites. So if the money is not invested in space exploration today, the humanity may regret later that it did not put resources in space exploration. It will not only push the human progress back by hundreds of years, but later it may take years of effort and much money to bring the space exploration back on track. So, depriving NASA of the much needed funds that this organization requires will be a step in the wrong direction. It will not only push the US progress in the area of space exploration thousands of years back, but it will also give edge to the competitors like Russia, China and Europe to progress over America in the area of space exploration. Hence, exposing NASA to budgetary cuts is something that smacks of utter short sightedness. Rather the nation should inject more funds into NASA to help it progress over other nations in the area of space exploration. Not doing so will not only push the US progress back at least in a relative sense, but will also eat into the scientific prowess of the nation. Funding NASA may help US establish colonies on the moon and the mars. It may help humanity solve some of the pressing problems like over population, scarcity of resources, hunger and poverty. One major aspect of the scientific knowhow that has made the US a super power is its military technology. The US military happens to be the best in the world because it has the access to the latest military technology and weapons. In that context it does need to be understood that historically speaking NASA has played a major role in the development of latest military technologies. Besides these technologies, the military also relies a lot on the assets like satellites and telescopes placed in the space by NASA for intelligence, communication and navigation purposes. Hence, exposing NASA to budget cuts will expose NASA to limitations in the area of development of new military technologies. It may also prevent NASA from placing new military satellites and spying devices in space. This will compromise the ability of the US army and will deprive it of the access to cutting edge technologies. This may corrode the super power status of the United States of America and may harm the nation’s strategic interests and objectives. So it is vital to pump money into NASA to enable the organization to come out with more state of the art military technologies. Funding NASA is very important to keep the nation’s army strong and competitive. There are experts who believe that going by the precarious economic position of the US economy, the government does need to reduce resource allocation to NASA. They believe that NASA is indeed utterly wasteful in the spending of the funds allocated to it. They believe that going by the fact that the United States of America has already incurred trillions of dollars worth of debt, it should not spend money on something that is not that important. Yet, such experts do need to understand that if one calculates the return on investment, NASA is one of the most profitable run institutions in the United States (Bill 20). For every penny spent on NASA the nation gets more return in terms of the development of new technologies, as compared to any other government run facility (Bill 20). Besides, the technologies developed by NASA percolate down to the grass roots level and better the lives of thousands of Americans. However, there are people who say that NASA should not be a high government priority. Many people say that going by the fact that today there are thousands of homeless Americans who need immense government help and welfare; funding NASA does not need to be a high government priority. There is no use spending millions of dollars on space research, when the government could not provide a decent life to many US citizens. The government should stop funding NASA to invest money in high priority projects like schools, nutrition, housing, health and education. This sounds really valid. Yet, the thing that needs to be understood is that cutting funds to NASA will prove to be short sighted thinking, when the organization is capable of churning out such technologies in the future that may allow the country to solve the health, nutrition and housing associated issues faced by thousands of Americans (Ramstack A01). Over the years NASA has evinced a track record of churning out technologies that have benefitted the health, well being and welfare of thousands of Americans. Thereby, cutting funding to NASA will largely deprive the common people of a viable source that does have the potential to better their lot in the long run. Some people say that funding NASA is something that is not strategically relevant anymore. The Cold War has ended. There is no socialist USSR against whom the nation needs to prove itself. They agree that NASA did make great discoveries in the past, but now it is time that the government should withdraw its funding to the space program at the earliest. The US is already slipping back in terms of welfare measures as compared to Europe and China. However, the thing is that space exploration and space technology is something that requires massive funds. If the government withdraws its funding to NASA, all the space research and exploration may come to a halt. The private companies may not invest funds in such space projects that do not promise immediate results. Hence the government does need to fund NASA to keep the space program alive and affordable. Withdrawing the government support to NASA may bring the space programs to a halt, which may result in drastic and tragic consequences in the times to come. Funding NASA is not only poised to benefit the common Americans today, but it is also a means for inspiring the generations of the future to be ambitious and resourceful. Thereby cutting budgetary funding to NASA will not only dilute the US competitiveness in the near future, but is also bound to roll back many amazing technologies that will not only facilitate America with a competitive edge, but will also benefit the American citizens in an array of ways and opportunities. Over the decades the US has developed a significant lead in the space technology. Any restrictions placed on NASA budget will corrode that lead. America has always been a super power and its thriving space program had been an integral aspect of this superpower status. Thereby shrinking the budget of NASA is not good for America. The nation must desist from taking any such action. Works Cited “A Giant Leap for Mankind”. Manila Bulletin 17 July 2011, 7. Print. Bill, Walker. “Thirty-Six Years after Neil Armstrong”. Freeman July/August 2005 19 Print. Byrnes, Mark E. Politics and Space. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1994. Print. Handberg, Roger. Reinventing NASA. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. Print. Harrison, Albert A. Spacefaring. Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 2001. Print. Launius, Roger D. Frontiers of Space Exploration. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. Print. McCray, W Patrick. The Visioneers. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2012. Print. Ramstack, Tom. “NASA Launches New Market; after 50 Years, Dreams Turn to Profitable Travel”. The Washington Times 28 July 2008, A01. Print. “Space Race to Marketplace: Spinoffs from Space Technology Land on Earth”. The Futurist September-October 1993, 53. Print. Spotts, Pete. “Red Planer Meets Red Ink: Budget Ax Could Chop Two NASA Mars Missions”. The Christian Science Monitor 1 February 2012, 4. Print. Wong, Wilson, W.S. Emerging Military Technologies. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2013. Print. Read More