why do people think nasa is such a waste?

Question

i mean it is where our future is headed. one of these days we will outgrow the earth or do something that will make it unfit for human life, and there are many things we get back from space missions. i read that for every $1 spent on NASA the US gets $7 back. i know that NASA has had a couple of unfortunate incidents recently, but surely that can't overshadow all the good to come from space travel! if you are one of the ones that feels like space exploration is a waste, i want to know why!

Answer 1

I definately don't feel it's a waste - I used to want to be an astronaut (certain medical issues have made that impossible so I turned my goal to different areas). I've come to understand that many feel that NASA is a waste because they feel the people working there are ignorant and ignorant with the funds they recieve. I've found that these people themselves are not the brightest of the bunch themselves and don't really understand the world around them works, they just accept what they're told by other's and take that as fact which is sad because a society of sheep is a doomed society. But nevertheless, as a child of someone who works for NASA (Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas) and seen him go from the greatest dad in the world to the world's biggest jerk overnight out of fear from his job, I can say this. What many don't understand is that the government keeps cutting NASA's funding so NASA has to keep using old and outdated materials. I remember my father showing me the new mission control back in the 1998. It took them 34 years to update mission control with new computers - so during the tradegy of the Challenger explosion in 1986 and when they launched the Hubble telescope in 1990 - they were still using the same computers to monitor the shuttle that they used to monitor the Apollo 11 as Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon and the Gemini missions too (note: the challenger tradegy was under Houston command when it exploded - soon as the shuttle clears the tower, Florida's Mission Control Center transfers control over to Houston).

But the fear of downsizing is not just felt at Houston's NASA. Remember they have a lot of facilities.

Research Facilities
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California,
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, Cleveland, Ohio
Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York City
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Test facilities
Ames Research Center, Moffett Federal Airfield
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base
Independent Verification and Validation Facility, Fairmont, West Virginia
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
John C. Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia

Construction and launch facilities
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, Louisiana
White Sands Test Facility, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Deep Space Network
Deep Space Network (DSN) stations
Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, Barstow, California
Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex, Madrid, Spain
Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,

Tourism and museum facilities
United States Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Space Center Houston, Lyndon B Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

That's a lot of facilities that share the government funding of which the government feels that fighting terrorist organizations that they can't find and looking for WMD's that don't exist so they can spread democracy to countries that don't ask for it is much more important than giving funding to the space program - so they take the money out of NASA's budget. The last few incidents hasn't help and unfortunately the last few incidents have been a product of the government's lack of funding to NASA. Mistakes like installing the Hubble telescope's mirror backwards doesn't exactly make NASA's scienctists look good either. Going into space is expensive unfortunately and until someone invents the space elevator, the transporter or money becomes obselete - it will remain expensive.

Not only that, space isn't as "hip" as it was in the 1950's and 1960s when the "Space War" was on, Star Trek and then in the 1970's and 1990's when we saw another resurgence of space again in Star Wars and then Star Trek returning, but recently there hasn't been a big "hit" with space. It's considered a commonplace among culture today and it's not "new" anymore. When Star Wars made their first three episodes and Star Trek made then last movie, space was no longer considered the "final frontier" anymore.

Answer 2

Amongst other things NASA is the vehicle by which science is done. Why do we have science? Because it has been discovered that the process of gathering facts and formulating them into a hypothesis that is subject to ruthess peer review and eventually becomes an acceptable and proven theory furthers our knowledge and provides material benefits.

Without the understanding of the world that comes from science based on observation and review we have little but superstition and tyranny. In superstition and tyranny anyone can make up what they want to and enforce it on everyone if they are ruthless enough. Do we want that? I don't think so. Sure science isn't perfect, it can be misused to make bombs, but what else is better?

Also consider this. If an asteroid was detceted that is heading for the earth and we did nothing there would be huge devastation. However, thanks to NASA and other space research the people of Earth now for the very first time in all of history have a means to target and blow up such an asteroid. All the expense on space research is like an insurance against such an asteroid, and if only one is deflected the savings in life and the environment would far exceed the cost of all the space expenditure so far.

Also NASA eventually can provide the means for us to go forth and multiply on other worlds. This is imperative, as currently we have all of humanity here in the one place. A terrible catastrophe here on Earth such as an environmental disaster would see all of our science, art, religion and culture lost. In fact everything everyone ever strove for and sacrificed for would be lost. By colonising another world we spread humanity over a greater area thereby minimising the chance of complete loss.

Answer 3

They are members of the republican party and hate all government spending. Especially science as science is their enemy. Science questions the biblical creation. The war in Iraq, which has so far cost 20 times more than a manned mission to Mars would and yet returned not a single dollar of every dollar spent, is ok though since they actually believe the Bush administration crock of there being WMDs there...

Answer 4

Nasa is one of the best programs going, Look at it like this, If you have a crowd of 100 people and you order a pizza with anchovies and onions for everyone you will always have those who say that is B/S

Answer 5

When's the last time you walked in your living room and had a regular conversation about the universe with your parents, or maybe some of your friends? My guesses are that you probably haven't.
When's the last time you walked in your living room and had a conversation about car insurance, health insurance, morgage, student loans, etc etc? Chances are these issues came to mind more so than expoloring the universe to find E.T.

So, in relavance, where do you think the general publics' head is?

Answer 6

Scientific development brings much unforeseen benefit. The 1960s rush for the moon was inspired by military objectives, but it gave us the miniature electronics that you rely on to read this. It's hard for the layman to understand why scientists want to crash spacecraft into the moon or collide hadrons under the Alps, but we're likely to see some benefit from it. I always shudder when I see the expression "hard working taxpayers". The people who use the expression are usually like the Holy Roman Empire - not holy, not Roman and definitely not an empire.

Answer 7

many people believe that NASA only designs space ships

the truth is, they designed hundreds of things like velcro, ergonomic beds, engines, water purifiers, air purifiers and hundreds of other things with scientist dedicated (and paid) to study better ways of improving life on earth and in space.
NASA also study weather changes, hurricanes, earthquakes
and other natural disasters
without NASA, Katrina would have been MUCH worse
convince someone this and hopefully that person would be convinced.

Answer 8

nasa is not any kinda waste...whteva dey r doin is 4 our gud...v
no tht earth is not gonna last 4eva...so v need to find a new home..n nasa is workin towards tht...so whtz wrong in spendin tht much of money if mankind has 2 survive

Answer 9

nasa is not a waste. they help answer interesting questions.

Answer 10

Because they spend lots of money in their missions.