Research Paper on NASA

The purpose of this survey of sources is to examine the advantages of investing more money on NASA. It will present information gathered from different sources that support increased spending by the United States on NASA. It will also counter some of the arguments against increased spending.

General Facts

Many facts about NASA's budget are presented in a June 1998 issue of Congressional Quarterly Weekly entitled ALost in Space: NASA's Quest For a New Direction."NASA's budget has declined $1 billion in real terms over the past four years. Congressional Quarterly also notes that NASA has learned to make better use of what they are given by using a streamlined and cost-conscious management approach known as Afaster, better, cheaper". Another point mentioned in the article that supports increased spending on NASA is that a recent industry study said world-wide revenues from space, estimated at $77 billion in 1996, could reach $120 billion by 2000. It also provides a supporting quote from NASA administrator Daniel Goldin: AOur time is going to come when we need more money. And when it comes, I think people will respond.

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The Space Place web site also notes that less than 1% of the federal budget is spent on the entire space program. The web site also provides the supporting fact that it has been conservatively estimated by U.S. space experts that for every dollar the U.S. spends on the space program, it receives $7 back in the form of corporate and personal income taxes from increased jobs and economic growth. Another good supporting fact comes from L.B. Taylor, Jr.'s AFor all Mankind. It states that ninety-two percent of the funds that go toward space research go toward the development of products that are designed, developed, and manufactured in the United States.

Supporting Points
In AFor All Mankind, the notion that space exploration is something we should not spend much money on, is compared to examples of other under-valued ventures that have taken place in history. Suppose Ferdinand and Isabella hadn't financed the voyage by Christopher Columbus that many saw as ridiculous. Or what if the money hadn't been spent to develop Gutenberg's press even though most of the population was illiterate? Everyone knows how much those investments repaid themselves in the future, and the author offers that space research and exploration will do the same. He reasons that most of the rewards of space research and exploration will be in the long run, but a lot of advances that can be seen in our present everyday lives can be attributed to space research. There have been advances in computers, miniaturization, electronics, exotic materials, and many other by-products which are used directly in consumer goods (Taylor 241). Some examples of these spinoffs are given on the Ultimate Space Place web site: enriched baby food, a water purification system, scratch-resistant lenses, and ribbed swimsuits are a few examples.

Other supporting evidence is given in national opinion polls taken by William Sims Bainbridge in AGoals in Space. A majority of Americans think space research and exploration would be beneficial for economic gain, improvement in our technological capability, and the increase in practical knowledge.

Opposing Points
One point some may argue that is brought up in AFor all Mankind is that we should fix our problems on Earth before we worry about leaving it. L.B. Taylor, Jr. counters this point by reasoning that if we focused all of our resources on trying to rescue the world from all of its problems, then there would never be any opportunities for advancements which could, in turn, also help. He also thinks pursuing second and third-priority goals would be beneficial even though the top priority is not completely achieved.

Conclusion
These are some of the main ideas and arguments that I will be able to use in my research paper assignment. I did find some of the sources I used more informative and useful than others, although I did read sections of each source to help develop my general understanding and opinion on the subject. I had hoped to find more recent publications on this topic, but this was the best our library had to offer. Strangely, I did find the most useful information in the older sources. Perhaps I will be able to make direct references to each of the sources in my research paper.

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