Persuasive Essay Brainstorm

            Question of Value: Should the United States government spend more/invest more money in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Question of Policy: The United States government should allocate more of its budget to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

I’ll just say this off the bat, I’m a bit of a nerd. I love space. I love everything about it, but I have not given this topic serious consideration simply because funding NASA is something I want to happen to fulfil the wish of a space nerd. No, in my opinion funding NASA is the smart decision of our country.

It’s a simple fact that our generation (and even the last few generations) grew up in a world where America was viewed as a leader in the world, involved on the front lines of most issues and discoveries. It would be naive of me to ignore the fact that part of that global authority is due to our massive economy and somewhat large collection of flying, floating, and rolling guns. However, I feel part of the reason the world looked to us to lead is that America cared deeply about being on the front line of discovery. There was a reason we were the first to step on the moon, a reason we created the first nuclear bomb (regardless of if that was good or bad),

and a reason people across the world flocked to our universities because America valued science and desired deeply to be the world’s authority on it. However, recently this has changed. America no longer invests as heavily in science as it used to, and the results are being felt. Massive scientific discoveries are made in other nations, such as CERN in Genova, if one wants to go to space they no long come through the USA but through Russia or China. The USA has lost its leading authority in science and as a result some of its authority in the world, and reinvesting in NASA is one way to begin to bring that back.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief NASA does more than just look at stars are dream of walking on Mars, they also do a plethora of things for this planet and the people living here. Countless technologies that are standards of normal life today were only brought about by work done at NASA: LED’s, Ear Thermometers, artificial limbs, anti-icing for planes, temper foam (memory foam), enriched baby food, cordless vacuums, freeze drying, water purification, solar energy, and food safety systems just to name a few. The work at NASA can benefit us all in our everyday lives, and the next life changing discovery could be just around the corner.

NASA also performs crucial research about our own planet. This is important because the simple fact is the Earth is changing, it’s getting hotter, and sooner than any of us would like to admit our changing world will be a global concern that cannot be ignored and may not be able to be reversed.  NASA plays an extremely valuable role in understanding and fighting this threat. There are currently at least 27 separate NASA missions dedicated to monitoring and understand our planet’s atmosphere, oceans, and many other factors. These missions provide invaluable information to scientists and innovators all across the world as they attempt to battle and slow the detrimental change to our planet. Without this information fro

m NASA missions our ability to understand and address global trends would be hugely diminished, and this is not just an American issue but a global issue. Finally, NASA can play a role in innovating to help fight climate change. Technology such as solar energy became possible thanks to NASA’s work; if we want to find solutions to the issues we will face in the future we need NASA’s resources investing their time.

            In my opinion NASA is one of the most valuable portions of our government and a section that should receive far more funding. Not only because scientific discovery is awesome, but because our world is facing the largest threat it ever has, and the work that can be done at NASA is critical. Investing in NASA will situate America back at the forefront of global scientific innovation, and lead the way in proactive solutions for the future.