Since the 1960s space race, adjusted for inflation , NASA has lost almost 90% of its yearly funding for all projects it oversees. What was once seen as the future of our species and a dream shared by all of humanity, space travel is now seen as an unnecessary government expense. Politicians believe that there is no merit in funding NASA as there aren’t any tangible or material benefits that it will yield. I very much disagree with this idea and I think cutting NASA’s budget year after year is a terrible mistake not only for the United States, but for mankind.
What was once the prized space program of the world, the United State’s space program is becoming less and less relevant compared to other countries. Upcoming world powers like China and India are investing billions into their programs and creating solutions that can bring us into space at a fraction of the cost. There have been countless benefits for international space programs as a direct result of the investment these countries are making. I use the word investment very purposefully because I strongly believe that is exactly what funding space programs is, an investment.
While we realistically arent going to colonize an entire planet in the name of a country, there are benefits to expanding our reaches outward. I am a strong believer that humanity has only one purpose and that is to first of all , not go extinct and second of all, spread our race as large as possible. While this may seem a bit extreme, if we do not make sure we spread the human race to other planets and potentially other solar systems in the future, we risk eventual extinction at the hands of unseen events. I agree with famous scientist Ed Lu when he said “Asteroids are nature’s way of saying, ‘how’s that space program coming?’”.
The reality of the situation is human beings are throwing everything up to chance when it comes to life outside this planet. We know almost nothing and yet one little fart like a solar flare could wipe us all out in an instant. We are so concerned with live on our own planet, but refuse to look at the possibilities past it. Investing in space travel also has political benefits as well as it unites countries together against a single cause. Steven Hawking just announced a week ago that he believes if we ever wish to transcend our petty problems we have on earth, expanding the human race onto another planet and working together is necessary.
Almost 50 years ago we were able to get a man to the moon with technology less than what the majority of us have in their pocket, yet we still have not put a man on mars. Colonization is going to be a slow process even if we invested everything into space programs, but it will take many times longer with no investment. If the United States doesn’t want to put up the budget for the space program, then we as a species should come together and create an international space program that actually acts like an international program versus the modular program we have today in relations to the International Space Station. Together we can unite and ensure we survive for thousands of generations, but we can only get there if we work together, invest in space programs and set our sights to the stars.
--Calaber24p