Has traveling to the moon become a thing of the past?
Despite many critics who believe the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has worn out its use in the modern world, the majority of Americans still support space exploration.
“Yes, I definitely think that the United States should continue the NASA program,” said University of Memphis student Stephen Mitchell. “We as Americans have always been recognized for our spirit of adventure and exploration.”
Recently, NASA launched the space shuttle Discovery, but encountered various problems.
Wednesday two astronauts did external repairs to the tiles that compose the shuttle’s covering.
This comes after a delay occurred on July 13 when tests found an error in one of the fuel tanks. Discovery eventually launched and attached to the international space station July 28.
The budget for NASA is listed by various news organizations at about $15 billion annually. The official NASA government website describes its budget as, “0.7 percent of the total federal budget.”
The site also compares NASA’s budget to a family trip to the movies and 15 cents per day when broken down daily per each paying taxpayer.
But while some have become critical of the billions of dollars spent each year, others support the work being done by NASA.
A recent poll conducted on BellSouth’s home page appears to agree with him.
Fifty-nine percent of the 33 thousand respondents believe the space program is still worth the money.
Chris Causie, a U of M junior, believes there is more to NASA than just launching shuttles to the moon for the sake of national prominence.
“(NASA) is good because it does a lot more than the shuttles,” he said. “They’ve helped develop products and have also advanced technology a lot more.”
Devices used to destroy anthrax, better bone replacements and better water purification products are some current technologies being worked on, according to NASA.gov.
But some outside the program believe NASA’s large budget is more wasted money now that the Cold War with the Soviet Union is over.
In a 2003 column, Australian Observer columnist Robert Lusetich noted that the then-upcoming budget announcement for NASA would be better spent elsewhere.
Lusetich wrote, “...with a war on terror that may never end...there are better uses for $15.5 billion NASA is slated to get next year.”
So with the potential of revolutionary breakthroughs on one side and the outcry to spend money on things closer to earth on the other, NASA will always have much to deal with.
