Increasing NASA's Budget

    The National Aeronautic and Space Administration, more commonly known as NASA, has been at the forefront of extraterrestrial studies and exploration since its inception in July of 1958. However, we run the risk of falling behind other countries as the United States’ space program suffers from budget cuts, cancellation of programs and the pressure to do more with less. Yet the government continues to squander its funds while decreasing NASA’s budget even as inflation makes each dollar buy less and less knowledge. The trend needs to be reversed, and the federal government is the only one who can do it.
    NASA cannot explore the cosmos if they do not have access to the funding needed, and space worthy equipment is not cheap. The 2013 budget has reached one of the lowest points since the creation of the Administration at $17.7 billion. To put this in perspective former Brigadier General Steve Anderson tells The World that the military spent $20 billion for the air conditioning of tents in the Middle East during 2010. Much of the manned portions of the space program have also been cut, with the cancellation of the space shuttle program and the planned return to the moon over the past few years.
    NASA has made outstanding contributions to both the daily lives of citizens and to scientific pursuits. Technology developed under the space program has gone into over 1,800 consumer products and services since Spinoff began its annual publication in 1976. In addition to the technological breakthroughs more money for NASA provides a massive economic benefit for the United States, generating many jobs for scientists, engineers and mathematicians but also requiring the production of specific and unique machinery, both of which aid the US economy and give a greater return than the original funding. Quite possibly the largest reason for increasing funds to the space program is to prevent the extinction of the human race should Earth experience a world ending catastrophe. We must get off of our rock if we are to survive in the long run, and that needs to start with a strong space program.
    In short, the government has reduced NASA’s budget to a shadow of its former self. The United States has nothing to lose by increasing the budget once again, as NASA produces spinoff technologies from its research along with creating many US based jobs for scientists and manufacturing. Not to mention that it works towards ensuring the survival of humanity and pays back more than what is put into the Administration.