Published: November 19, 2009

When Americans think of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), they usually think of an innovative, prodigious government agency—one that has made advances in technology that we use in our everyday lives, and greatly advanced human knowledge by finally making it possible to reach beyond the bounds of the Earth’s gravity and land on the moon. The inventions of NASA have included, among other things, the scratch-resistant lenses that I’m wearing right now, the memory foam that I sleep on every day, the Velcro on my backpack, the filtered water which is in my water bottle, the communications satellites that let us call or text our buddies and the Kevlar on the vests that our police officers and soldiers wear while protecting the peace.

Unfortunately, too few Americans are concerned about the future of this venerable institution. While NASA tries to follow an ambitious plan, the Constellation program, spurred, strangely enough, by a 2004 announcement by George W. Bush, they are finding that the current administration cares less and less about funding them. Despite the best efforts of scientists and engineers to create a suitable replacement for the outdated, 1980s-tech space shuttle and once again make America a beacon of technological advancement, there seems to be a complete dearth of funding for the $81 billion program. Without a budget increase from the Obama administration, the plans to visit the Moon and Mars will have to be scrapped—so much for supporting scientific endeavors.

This cut in funding is not due to the failures of the Constellation program—a recent launch of a test version of the new rocket designed for the program, called the Ares I-X, was described by one NASA executive as “frickin’ fantastic”—but due to the fact that Congress and the administration simply have other priorities. A panel appointed by Obama, the Augustine committee, has found that the program would require more money than is available. The United States, facing a large budget deficit due to Bush’s overspending in his wild pursuit of “victory” in Iraq, has reached the breaking point with its fiscal resources. Or has it? It definitely doesn’t seem that way, with large corporations giving out bailouts as bonuses despite their previously impending collapse, and the continuing war on two fronts in the Middle East.  I can believe in change for only so long before I start doubting whether anything has actually changed.

For some perspective, Congress has authorized funding to the tune of $130 billion, emergency funds notwithstanding, for the twin wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, simply for the fiscal year up until next October. Our total military budget totals $636 billion, more than the spending of all other countries combined. If $81 billion were put towards the Constellation program, the ingenious scientists at NASA could develop a new Moon rocket and space colony. The cost of the program up to 2025 (including a human landing on Mars) totals $217 billion, by which time the government is likely to have spent far more on wars. Far from being bloated and costly, the spending of NASA has declined by 20 percent from the early 90s. While the money going towards Iraq and Afghanistan will have absolutely no effect on society after we eventually pull out of Iraq (and Afghanistan, considering it is virtually impossible to stabilize such a geographically treacherous area), the effects of Constellation would continue to reverberate for hundreds of years to come. Every school child is taught about how humans landed on the moon, and a lunar base or landing on Mars would be similarly momentous and inspiring to future generations. Why, then, does the government treat NASA like it is simply an unnecessary plaything—something to fund when we have some extra spending money? The truth is quite the opposite; the continued funding of NASA is necessary to advance not only America, but the human race as a whole.

We have passed the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, and we have seemingly gone backwards—from a brave new frontier exploring the moon and beyond, to repeated launches into orbit of a shuttle that has failed at its original purpose, and, in some cases, was destroyed by structural failure. We have passed the year of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and instead of exploring Jupiter, it is necessary to cancel simple rocket launches. Merely maintaining the International Space Station is not enough to inspire those with dreams of becoming rocket scientists or astronauts, and it seems that the spirit of the Space Race was not for the benefit of humankind, but simply to fulfill politicians’ bloated egos. If NASA runs out of money and has to be privatized, what replaces it will pursue not scientific innovation, but a constant cash flow. Will lawmakers move to fund NASA instead of simply voicing their support, or will we put our taxpayer money towards causing death and destruction instead? Only time will tell if the government will live up to its promises towards its hopeful citizens, or if Congress will ignore them to pursue their own petty agendas. President Obama, do everyone a favor—cut off the shuttle program and focus all efforts on once again shooting for the moon.