The most expensive aspects of the project were the rockets to get astronauts into space and the modules they would travel in. NASA as a whole helped us take that “giant leap” for mankind.įorty years later, Obama cannot let us take a step back.Between 1959, the first year of NASA, and 1973, a year after the most recent moon landing, NASA spent $20.5 billion ($152.7 billion in 2018 dollars) on its lunar directive or 42% of all NASA spending. Thank NASA for what they have done.įour decades ago, Armstrong served as the representation of American progress and ingenuity. NASA deserves the best opportunity to give children that spark. Our country needs children to dream big and to carry the torch forward into history. “I think it’s essential to do exciting things to get the younger generations involved,” Davis said. America, whose spot at the top of the scientific community among youths is falling, needs to invest in the future, not shy away from challenging the next generation to dream. “Everyone’s going to feel it.”īut the biggest hit the budget cuts take on our country cannot be measured in dollars and coins. “It’s a one-two punch,” Marcia Gaedcke, president of the area’s Chamber of Commerce, told USA Today in reference to the loss of jobs at NASA. According to a 2008 NASA study, the Kennedy Space Center accounted for $4.1 billion of financial activity in the state, but the number is on a steady decline. The economy of Florida is feeling it too. In a July article for the Associated Press, journalist Mike Schneider reported that many of the 7,400 employees that have been let go since last July in 2011 have struggled to find jobs to suit their special set of skills.The Kennedy Space Center currently employs 8,500 workers, the smallest amount since 1977. These contractors are critical for success at NASA, but they are being hit hard. If the budget cuts continue, a lot of brilliant people may lose their jobs,” NASA employee Andrew Davis, who works with the launch control systems at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, said in an interview.ĭavis pointed out that NASA hires contractors such as Boeing and the United States Alliance to work alongside their employees. “The budget cuts are having an unfortunate impact on these contracting companies, and many contractors are losing their jobs.

For perspective, consider this: according to the same budget proposal, the Air Force alone is allotted nearly $170 billion. Budget cuts from the current administration threaten to limit the program’s future, and the consequences could cost them-and us-a lot.Īccording to President Obama’s 2013 budget proposal, NASA’s budget would decrease from the $18.4 billion it was allotted in 2011 to $17.7 billion by 2017.Īnd though numbers of that size seem to make very little difference to the casual bystander, a cut of that magnitude has drastic effects. Sending a jeep-sized remote control car to another planet is tough to accomplish, but it is not the biggest problem facing NASA. From Martian rocks to a sunset that is literally out of this world, the images have motivated millions. Recently, the rover has started transmitting stunning images of the surface of our red neighbor. NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on Mars Aug. “There are many ways to show people the great possibilities of the future, but I’d argue that the visibility of the moon in the sky is more powerful than any other single source of inspiration,” Bennett said.Īnd now, we have reached another milestone. In a 2004 National Geographic article on the matter, renowned astronomer Jeffrey Bennett talked about how the event changed the way we look at the moon.

Sunset on Mars - Images sent back from Mars inspire the dreams of our youth.

Nasa budget