The Case for NASA
Steven Petryk
(probably to scale)
Cassini–Huygens
Photo credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Mission Overview
European Space Agency, 2015
- Launched in 2004, still going strong
- Analyze Saturn's atmosphere
- Determine composition and shape of rings
- Observe Saturn's natural satellites
- Photograph everything possible
- ... and more. Tons more.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Foundation
Mission Results
- Over 3,000 scientific papers in 10 years (NASA, 2014)
- Liquid water on Enceladus (NASA, 2014)
- Hydrocarbon oceans on Titan (NASA, 2008)
- Insights into rings and moons
- ... and more.
US Contribution
$236m/year
(.006% nat'l budget)
Why we oppose NASA
- Americans assume NASA is expensive
- Average guess is 25% of budget (Plait, 2007)
- Urgent matters should be focused upon
- Hunger, Poverty, Social Security, etc.
- Lack of relevance in everyday life
Cost of NASA
$17.65B
FY2014 budget
(0.5% of $3.78 trillion budget)
Source: Phil Plait, 2015 & Washington Post, 2013
NASA as a priority
NASA historically is in 16th-20th place in terms of national budget allocation.
- Social Security
- Defense
- Income security
- Medicaire
- Health care
- Flight and space tech.
The Proposed 2014 Budget
Source: Washington Post, 2013
$866 B
$627 B
$542 B
$531 B
$443 B
$30 B
...
Budget cuts
Despite all of this, the budget is decreasing at a rate of 1% per year (Plait, 2015).
Photo credit: Wikimedia Foundation
The Case for Space
Science
- Studies of atmospheric chemistry
- Tests of theoretical physics
- Understanding of our own geology
- Gaining insights into the formation of the Solar System
Space travel allows for:
Technology
- Miniaturization of electronics
- Drove the development of computer science (Bell, 2013)
- Development of new materials
- Advancements trickle down into everyday life
Social aspects
- Humans thrive on exploration
- Most missions are multinational efforts
- Creates excitement about a governmental organization
- Encourages involvement in STEM fields
Questions
The Case for Space
By Steven Petryk
The Case for Space
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