"Space Saving, Ready for Liftoff" My essay is about the contradictory issue of alloting more money for NASA and other space programs, or cutting back on their budgets.

Essay by thatstayyyHigh School, 11th gradeA, February 2010

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Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to the sight of the Earth. Where's the moon? Instead of staring at the ever so familiar moon, there would be a clear image of the Earth shining back. NASA has recently discovered ice on the moon, making it eventually possible for the human population to reside on a lunar settlement. The cost of the settlement, in turn, exceeds NASA's allotted budget, but would be beneficial to future society. Therefore, there should be limited funding for NASA's beneficial research.

With the help of U.S. citizens' contributions, NASA has offered many necessary benefits. One must realize that many common privileges and services are provided by NASA. Alan Stern, an author for Aviation Week & Space Technology, stated in his article "Making NASA Relevant Again" that, "The U.S. Space Program leads the world. It has produced more firsts, delivered more discoveries and still possesses more capability than any of its competitors" (78).

Throughout the decades, NASA has created and funded many important advances in the United States' culture. During the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, NASA catalyzed the communications satellite and electronic miniaturization revolutions, showed the entire planet the first colored pictures of Earth, placed satellites to transfer weather forecasts, and created GPS satellite navigation (Stern 78). Thomas J. Billitteri, a writer for the CQ Researcher article titled "Human Spaceflight", explained that, "Defense and national security space programs include satellite systems for reconnaissance, navigation, communications, weather tracking and early warning signs of missile launches and nuclear detonations" (867). These everyday safeties are now and then taken for granted in humanity today. The GPS satellite is operated by the Defense Department and permits residents and commercial industries to use for tasks such as precision farming to vehicle navigation systems (Billitteri 867). Simple concepts, such as...