Why should we fund NASA?
Well without NASA as a species we are fucked. It is the largest most advanced space faring organization we have. Here I will outline every single reason why anybody who says defund NASA is a deranged lunatic. Let's begin shall we?
What has NASA done for us?
NASA has helped The United States and the entire world grow more technologically advanced in many different ways.
Without NASA we would have far less satellites.
NASA has put almost every single satellite into orbit and at a reduced price.
What does this do? It makes it far easier for businesses to get satellites which means they can be used for more things. We are able to track the weather, increase the range of TV and any other signal and make it possible to track where an object is (GPS).
The "free market" can't provide this service for that low a price and help business in the same way. This means that communications and innovation would be lowered.
NASA has helped create a ton of technology that has changed the world. This is a list of technology they have created or technology their inventions has been used in.
- Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) (invention)
- Infrared Ear Thermometers (their tech was used directly in invention)
- Artificial Limbs ( Tech makes them far more functional)
- Ventricular Assist Device (collaboration)
- Anti-Icing Systems (invention saves many lives used from sidewalks to planes.)
- Highway groves ( invention)
- Improved Radial Tires ( side invention used for rovers and material is now used in them)
- A chemical detector ( it can sense them along it's entire length, used by government to detect chemical warfare agents. invention)
- Major breakthroughs in video enhancement. (They have to do this everyday not surprising)
- Land Mine Removal gear (invention doesn't even hurt the environment although it takes solid rocket fuel)
- better Fire-Resistant Reinforcement for all building materials (invention stuff to coat steel and fire extinguishing expanding foam.)
- almost all Firefighter Gear uses their metal they created (invention)
- Temper Foam (that stuff you see in airplane seats and amusement park rides that protects your head invention)
- Baby food enrichment (invention was used for astronauts first.)
I will stop here and I haven't even gone deep into computer software food and water purification. (source)
How is exploring space helpful to us?
Well apart from the tech created above it is helpful and necessary in many ways.
Without colonizing other planets we will die.
Our planet has an expiration date. The sun will expand and consume us in a few billion years while many other things could wipe us out at any time. An asteroid impact could kill us all right now, but people on mars would be safe. Some things like black holes we have no chance of stopping. We need somewhere to go and to be spread out or we will simply die one way or another.
How can NASA save us here?
Well as mentioned above an asteroid impact could kill us all. NASA has the ability to track most asteroids and predict their path. This means that we will know if one will likely hit us or not and we can move it out of the way. They need the funding to have enough technology made and ready by that time and you can't do it at the last minute.
We are are running out of resources here on earth that are (more) common in space.
For example on the moon has a large amount of Titania (which we really need) and the rocks of it have 10x as much as here on earth. Mining would be far more efficient and profitable. ( source ) or asteroids filled with rare earth metals. We need rare earth elements to produce electronics and once we run out we will be crippled.
What about spaceX?
Well spaceX is a good company and is trying to do good things, but they still need to make a profit to operate. Being forced to operate at a profit stifles innovation of an organization just trying to explore space and create new things. Creating things to see what you can make and learn makes better things than be forced to operate for profit. Almost all modern advances in science are because of people wanting to learn more, not those trying to get money. (Sadly the ones trying to get money must advertise and get their name out their for money and are noticed more rip Nikolai Tesla.)
(also since nasa is in full public domain I only need to say I got them from NASA no link needed hahahahah)
nah jk here they are anyway: www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/nasaLogo-570x450.png
neo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/ida1.jpg
We should fund NASA because i want to see an alien
tru if trump is elected we might never see one
While I think its a bit hyperbolic to say with out NASA we are fucked, it is true that many things that we take for granted today (Computers, various plastics, the list goes on) came from research done by NASA scientists. They have done perhaps an invaluable amount of good for us, and do not receive nearly enough credit for their work.
I agree on NASA being important to us. It is easy to over look all of the thing that we use every day that they invented. Shoe insoles, smoke detectors, exercise equipment the list just goes on. They really make the world we live in better. Regardless of where their money comes from we benefit.
I agree with @justtryme90. I like your post but some sentences (in particular the paragraph about space colonization) are probably a bit too excessive.
I wrote something similar for the CERN Large Hadron Collider and even if there are many benefits that could pop out of a large research infrastructure, many people are still against funding science (an fundamental science in particular) as the same amount of money could be used on the short term to improve their existence (or making them earning more money).
To me, the main problem is a longer-term (beyond one or two generation) version that is missing, but one always find people (politics) to listen :)
if we do not colonize space we will die there is no possible debate
There is no way to go very far in the solar system. Current physics knowledge tells us. The current physics theory is not the ultimate theory, and a new one may allow us to go further in space(we can dream), but in this case, you need first to fund theoretical physics before NASA to discover this new theory.
what are you talking about?
Please define 'colonize space'. If you speak about staying within the solar system, that is something we could envisage today. If you want to discuss colonizing extra worlds, well that's another story and this is not even possible today, with the physics knowledge we have.
" not even possible today" well yeah thats why they need funding are u high m8
Actually, you missed totally my point: before being able to build or engineer anything, you need the related theoretical developments.
I am not saying that one should not fund NASA, I am saying that one should not only fund NASA (as those theoretical developments are not searched for there).
We do have some of them but innovation happens best when actually trying to do it
I disagree. Take general relativity: without the theoretical developments of Einstein in 1915, no GPS today. At some point, you need theory. And the applications of theory may be conceivable decades later.
PS: just to be clear: I am definitely not against funding NASA. I am saying that for colonizing the space, you need more than NASA with respect to the scientific context of today.
NASA has accomplished some of man's greatest feats!
NASA is a fraud stealing american tax payers money... the earth is flat research it!
please killyourself thanks
Anything NASA has produced could have been equally studied on the ground. Cell phones, TV, etc. are all ground based-that's why you lose your signal if you drive a 1/2 hour out of town. There is no need to go to space, and the 20 Billion a year they siphon from the American people could go to much better use on the ground.
please read it again thanks
Fuck NASA. I know photoshopped images of our own earth when I see them. I've been on enough film sets to know that NASA is an Entertainment company. People are getting smarter and NASA is slipping.