Although I would love to talk about the physics of newly discovered galaxies and go into detail about astronomical concepts, I’m not going to do that. Today, I’ll be speaking on the optics of space exploration. What does that even mean? The primary challenge to funding space agencies at large is cost; many people believe that spending on space agencies is a waste of money and a political ploy. I hope that in this post I can shed some light on the benefits of NASA, as well as other space programs, and how they allocate minimal resources to achieve great things.
To many, space is mysterious and sometimes quite frightening. Even renowned astrophysicists struggle to understand cosmic phenomena. Recently, breakthroughs in space exploration have captivated the public and caused people to question the possibilities of interplanetary or intergalactic travel. Even though NASA has had a spark of public curiosity, the cost issue persists and drives scientific decisions. NASA estimates that it could cost over $800 million to produce each rocket, even if they were produced in bulk. So, the question is, how can we convince legislators to continue funding space agencies’ projects?
Legislators like guarantees and tangible deliverables. Unfortunately in space exploration, there is always a large element of risk. And even if the mision is a success, there is no guarantee that the astronauts will bring back ground breaking evidence. Even to me, thinking about potential drawbacks of space exploration, I feel somewhat skeptical. I do empathize with lawmakers and their huge burden to provide the public with concrete progress. However, the deliverables that NASA does produce can not be overlooked.
Our government spends on average about $600 billion on the military, while NASA and the National Science Foundation only receive $25 billion annually (For a more specific budget breakdown see link below). These scientific organizations have the potential to discover new technologies and ways to make our society more efficient. Even though we reside on Earth, we also reside in a greater universe. How will we deal with incoming asteroids that have the potential to wipe out the human race? As the ozone layer diminishes, how will we deal with severe weather and living conditions? NASA research and exploration has the ability to answer these questions, keeping us safe, while also advancing us as a society. The list of discoveries that NASA has uncovered seems almost infinite: landing an unmanned probe on Mars, discoveries regarding dark matter, Hubble telescope photographs, and much more. This is just the beginning.
These recent discoveries have sparked intellectual conversations about space travel and our knowledge about science at large. As a society, we seem to value political gains that stagnate overall growth rather than monumental scientific discoveries. To combat this, tech moguls such as Elon Musk and Richard Branson have been at the forefront of building space technologies. These moguls have done society a great service: making space cool. People now are fascinated by space exploration and its possibilities. Hopefully, in the near future, the government will realize the benefits of the funding of space agencies and these organizations can continue to change our world.
Thanks for reading!
Budget Breakdown: https://www.planetary.org/space-policy/nasas-fy-2021-budget
Citations:
Berger, Eric. Arstechnica, 4 Feb. 2016, arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/space-experts-warn-congress-that-nasas-journey-to-mars-is-illusory/.
Hurley-Walker, Natasha. ABC News, 11 Aug. 2018, www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-08-12/what-is-space-made-of-its-complicated/10078824.
The Planetary Society. “Your Guide to NASA’S BUDGET.” The Planetary Society, 2021, www.planetary.org/space-policy/nasa-budget.
“SpaceX.” Fortune, 25 Aug. 2020, fortune.com/company/spacex/.
Wattles, Jackie. “NASA Says Moon Rocket Could Cost as Much AS $1.6 Billion per LAUNCH | CNN BUSINESS.” CNN, Cable News Network, 9 Dec. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/12/09/tech/nasa-sls-price-cost-artemis-moon-rocket-scn/index.html.
Hey, Rishi!
I agree, that stat you provided about the discrepancy of funds for science and military shows how our society does not have an outward focus but only an inward focus.
I think that it is easier for people to focus and respond to what it directly in front of them and affecting them in tangible, direct, and clear ways. Politics would fall into this category, but for space studies although it does have direct impact, realizing it is more difficult.
I think you could have had some more examples on how space travel/study has already had a positive impact. It is mostly in the third paragraph that you describe problems/questions NASA could fix/answer but I think including what they have already done creates a stronger argument for funding.
A couple notes about your beginning paragraph- you start by writing “although I would love to talk about the physics of newly discovered galaxies and go into detail about astronomical concepts, I’m not going to do that”. I’m not sure why you choose to start like this but as the reader it seems like you reference something interesting but then immediately pull back from it and throw it to the side. In other words, you open with something that is not the focal ideal of your post. Another possibility to start this post could be opening with examples of what aerospace study has already done and describing what it would be like if studies in this field could no longer function.
One other thing about clarity. In the first paragraph you say “What does that even mean?” about space optics but do not clearly define it anywhere in the post.
As far as bias goes, I think the only thing I would say is to include more of what NASA has already done. As someone who already appreciates it, I assume you already know but the reader may not.
A question that came to my mind was how the United States’ aerospace funding would compare to that of other countries.