NASA has had a very mixed history. My understanding is many of the things we use every day came from NASA research. Things that come to my mind is the Navy running me all over gods creation in nuclear submarines, the Navy likes to take all the credit but reading between the lines……

I want to cut federal spending, but I'm not sure what to think of cutting NASA

I do know I love the battery operated power tools I use all the time.


This seems like one of the recent success stories.


Mars Rover Spirit (2003–10)... RIP.

Spirit was born in 2003 to mission manager Mark Adler and Steven Squyres, a planetary scientist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She was delivered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and it was there that she spent her formative months being schooled in rovering. Later, she moved to a finishing school at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Her graduation was epic: a 490-million-kilometre flight to Mars, where she and her twin Opportunity would pursue their destinies as roving geologists.
Her adult life began in January 2004, with an airbag-cushioned landing in the Gusev crater in January 2004 on the opposite side of the planet from her twin. The aim: to find evidence of water, and of environments that might once have been conducive to life.
With three spectrometers, an abrasion tool and panoramic and close-up cameras on board, the young rover quickly gained confidence. Her geological mettle was proved when just 32 days into her Martian voyage she picked out a rock, named Adirondack, swept it clean and drilled into it, confirming that it was the volcanic rock basalt.
Before long, she got her driving licence. She began controlling her own movements using her hazard-avoidance camera, rather than only following instructions from her large team of Earth-based mentors.
She went on to use her wire brush to uncover different-coloured layers in a rock in the Gusev crater that suggested multiple exposures to water — leading one Earthly scientist to declare the find a "miracle".
By the time the initial mission of 90 sols (Martian days) was complete, Spirit had driven 600 metres, but that was only the beginning. Well beyond her appointed days, she continued to gather valuable scientific information about Mars, sometimes with unexpected help, often against all odds. Dust was a constant nuisance, covering her life-giving solar panels. But in 2005, a dust devil happened to sweep the panels clean, giving her an energy boost.
In March 2006, Spirit's right front wheel stopped working. But she struggled on over soft ground towards McCool Hill, in the Columbia Hills region, dragging the broken wheel — and had another lucky stroke. The broken wheel churned up the soft soil, exposing dirt that Spirit analysed to show was unexpectedly rich in silicates, which need water to form.
Each winter, Spirit had to bed down on a north-facing slope to make the most of the low winter sun to charge her solar panels. A favourite spot was Home Plate, a sunny plateau that provided her with not only a winter home, but also a place to explore. While wintering here in 2006, Spirit discovered a pair of iron-rich meteorites using her thermal-emission spectrometer. That same winter, in October, Spirit reached a milestone 1,000 sols on Mars and survived a technical hitch that support teams on Earth worried might be a Martian version of the millennium bug.
News reports back on Earth suggested that the rover's days were numbered, yet she constantly confounded any prophets of doom. But in late January 2009, Spirit's lucidity deteriorated. She had trouble moving around, couldn't identify the position of the Sun correctly, and her family on Earth had trouble understanding her. Cosmic rays were blamed.
In April 2009, the ailing rover chose to reboot her computer twice. Worried controllers on Earth encouraged Spirit to press on, but more trouble lay ahead.
In a location called Troy, Spirit unwittingly crunched through the surface of a sandpit, and became entrapped. In November 2009 engineers on Earth, who had been testing a replica rover in a sand pit, tried to help her get out of her sticky situation — but to no avail. Even though the rover, by now suffering another broken wheel, did manage to climb up a few centimetres, Spirit finally gave up trying on 26 January 2010.
Her odometer read 7,730 metres. She will continue to radio back observations — of the atmosphere, of the planet's rotation — from her stationary position for as long as possible.
Spirit leaves behind her sister Opportunity — who is still active and is on her way to peer into a crater called Concepcion — and an extended family at NASA.

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Shoot fast & live long
Warren

NASA is a source of national pride for the USA. I disagree with Obama's proposal to withdraw funding for our space program.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

All that I know is it probley kept me working.

The items and innovations that have come out of the R&D done by NASA in the past has created more jobs and new industries than any other endeavor (except for war) in modern US history.

Obama continues to waste money in other areas (mostly for political gain) while cutting off funds to a proven job and industry maker ........ IMO.

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

I would switch every cent Obama plans to spend for “climate research” from the NASA budget (said to be $65 million) back to space.
Oh, and fire James Hansen.

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

Yes, let's remove funding from our biggest national pride, our science and technology industry, and huge job source, and let's create more windmills and government clerks.

Being so close to Huntsville, I can see both sides of the issue. I don't want growing, thriving Huntsville to become the next Detroit, but at the same time, I wish I could see some validity in continuing some of the NASA programs. Is this a PROFITABLE agency or are they just costing the taxpayers money every year? I'm not being smart about it; I just don't understand. Some of you guys (and gals) who have worked in this industry educate me a little. To me, they seem kind of like just another government agency sucking up cash, and having some major disasters that have cost lives in the process.

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MARK

We HAVE to keep the space program going. We have to do it for the CHILLLLLLLLLLDREN. When the sun dies we have to have colonies outside this solar system to sustain human life. Maybe we can find a planet like in Avatar inhabited by tall blue chicks and take it over and make them our slaves. Hey. Just thinkin' ahead here.

Here is a little quote that may help answer your questions:

"Out of a $2.4 trillion budget, less than 0.8% is spent on the entire space program! That's less than 1 penny for every dollar spent. The average American spends more of their budget on their cable bill, eating out or entertainment than this yet the benefits of space flight are remarkable. It has been conservatively estimated by U.S. space experts that for every dollar the U.S. spends on R and D in the space program, it receives $7 back in the form of corporate and personal income taxes from increased jobs and economic growth. Besides the obvious jobs created in the aerospace industry, thousands more are created by many other companies applying NASA technology in nonspace related areas that affect us daily. One cannot even begin to place a dollar value on the lives saved and improved lifestyles of the less fortunate. Space technology benefits everyone and a rising technological tide does raise all boats."

NASA spinoffs, space benefits, space history, NASA space spinoffs, NASA technology products

NASA allows us to introduce technology we stole from the alien space ships that crash on our planet. If it is eliminated what will those that believe in conspiracy theories do?

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Front sight and squeeze

The space program is our national pride. No other country has accomplished as much in space as the U.S. If you cut NASA, you cut our will to be the best. I firmly believe it is man's destiny to explore the heavens, and we've only started. Next up will be a colony on the moon, and then developing life and a habitat on Mars. If the green loonies are right and Earth will be done for in a few hundred years, we need to have alternate locations in the universe. Or, God forbid, if we all blow each other to bits in a nuclear holocaust, someone needs to be out there to pick up the pieces of humanity on other planets. NASA spin-off technology has been enormous, and a huge source of jobs and income for the U.S. This is another short-sighted move by an administration that is totally clueless when it comes to what makes our economy run, and the potential of future space exploration.

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

We need to keep our photographers employed~!

i find i disagree with most of what obama says just on general principle.

Can you remember where you were when we landed on the moon?NASA is USA pride.

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WALSTIB

I can see cutting its budget..
As per climate scam.. but NASA is a national treasure IMHO.

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John 3:16

Far better investment than "Green Jobs" and Acorn IMHO.

America's greatest technological achievement to date is landing on and returning from the moon.
It's sad the only thing that keeps us from returning is our politicians denial of funding.

I'm in no way impartial on the subject of NASA.

The first NASA office in Houston was no far from my junior high school. Several of the original Mercury astronauts visited the school. These guys were pretty impressive, but also kind of familiar. They weren't all that different from our own fathers, who had come out of the Second World War, gone to school on the GI Bill, and then gone to work with the attitude that there wasn't a darn thing in the world they couldn't do. Those astronauts and the space program they represented turned a lot of my friends toward science and engineering. There are many people with jobs today because in 1962 kids through out the country got the idea that this whole space/science/technology thing might be pretty cool.

I believe the taxpayer has been well compensated for the money spent on NASA, both in terms of taxes returned to the treasury and the general expansion of the economy.

The space program has earned the respect, however grudging, of the rest of the world.

What will be our position in the world when the Peoples Republic of China goes to the moon and stays there? Don't think it can't happen.
They have the time, the tools, and the talent. And the money. They now believe they can replace us as the world superpower and they intend to make that happen.

I read a study last year that indicated that for every lawyer the United States produced, the Chinese produced over one hundred engineers. While I think that particular number was a WAG, there is no doubt that they (and the Indians) are producing the human capital neccessary to maintain and expand a technological economy that we will soon be unable to match.

We need to go back to the moon while we still can.

si-------------

personally I would keep NASA , NASA and cut all welfare and entitlement handouts before I cut NASA

I would cut aide to foreign countries before I cut NASA...

There are treaties that forbid that sort of thing!

Is NASA a waste of money? Sure. Anything the government puts its hand to is going to have some of that. But overall, what choice is there? If we want to be left behind by the rest of the entire world, all we have to do is let everyone know we are pulling our horns in.

I think I read today that the proposed reduction was about 1.5% of the NASA budget from the previous year. If that is true, I don't see how 1.5% could cancel everything we are being told will be cancelled. Surely there is some leaning out that could be done rather than outright cancellations. The truth must be that the long term prospects are much worse.

In the mean time, if unemployment is going to run close to 10% for at least the next three years, you can see why our friends in Washington suddenly have this interest in cutting unnecessary spending. The only problem is, they are a little late coming to the party.

Their insane trade policies have done to the U.S. what we were able to do to the Soviet Union with the arms race. Not a lot of difference...

i once heard that NASA made up .5 of one percent of the federal budget, don't expect to see a lot of extra money in your paycheck.

As the only resident Martian, I think I have some expertise in this area.
NASA is a source of national pride, too bad people don't really care anymore. The Hubble telescope, Cassani, the ATV's you all sent for me to ride around on (sorry 'bout gett'n one stuck in the sand), the ISS wouldn't of happened without the shuttles. The list of innovations NASA produced is huge, velcro anyone? We made it to the moon on less computer power than my laptop, it would be great to see us go back, though now it's sounding like I may never see that happen. Cutting the budget is going to hurt us more in the long run than the savings Obama wants now.

I agree, if there is one program that doesn't need to be cut, it is NASA.

That being said, I do think it needs a revamping and a new mission...and no, I don't think we should be going back to the moon at this time. I think we should be concentrating our efforts on Mars. In addition, using the ISS as a jumpoff point for spaceships much larger than could be effiencently(sic, sorry, I'm tired) handled from Earth. Vessels that could go to the outer planets on extended journeys.

I'm not talking the starship Enterprise, but something more realistic. If we had a fleet of, say, four of these kind of ships...well, let China have the moon..we've been there, done that, moved on. Old Glory flying over the Martian surface would rival any moon mission.

It's nice to dream...but in the end, China WILL take over the lead in the space race just like we did from the Russians.

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The Last Standing Knight

I remember growing up, every kid wanted to be an astronaut. I don't remember anyone wanting to be a community organizer.

The part that concerns me the most is that once this is done it's going to be hard to put back together again. There will be a huge intellectual loss at NASA as scientist and engineers leave for the private sector. If the next administration decides to restore NASA to its former glory, it will take years to regain the knowledge that has been lost.

I was born in, and still live in Huntsville, Al. A few years ago, I had the chance to watch a shuttle launch. That was a memorable and honorable time to be an American.

Obama dosen't want anybody around that is smarter than he is.

I am conflicted on this, for several reasons.

1) I remember fondly watching "one small step for man" while sitting in front of our B&W TV as a 13 year old, but...

2) I don't know where to find justification for funding a space program in the US Constitution.

3) I recognize the many, many innovations and improvements to our lives that have resulted from the space program, but...

4) I wonder if capitalism and private industry, if unfettered by government red tape and exorbitant taxation, wouldn't be able to result in even more innovations.

5) I want to see a reduction in overall federal expenditures, but...

6) I would rather see cuts in other areas first.

Call me indecisive.

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Only a cold warrior

I think that everyone will agree that thanks to NASA, our lives have been changed for the better. HOWEVER, being retired from the aerospace industry, I can assure you that they are not easy to deal with. We had several contracts with them over the years, and they rank no 1 in unreasonable hardass.

Can we de-fund the space program AFTER we launch obama and his cronies for one last "mission"?

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Sure you did

Who's enjoying this thread?How's your sattelite conection?Cable?Telephone?(and don't call it a land line)Cellphone?GPS?
I like the simpler times but it aint my choice.
And I like all of the things listed above.
What I don't like is the direction things are going now,we're on the losing end.
D.G.

Yes, NASA is a "waste" of money.
Yes, it is essential to the prestige of America.
Yes, thousands depend on it for their livelihood.
Yes, we should fund it indefinitely.
Yes, I live in Florida about 60 miles from the pads.
No, we are likely never going anywhere "meaningful" in space. (That's why it's called "space"). We might be able to turn a buck from it though in "low orbit adventures" which seems like the BO plan. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

I didn't catch the "low orbit adventures"part.I'll guess my sat is OK for now.How long till we farm it out to some other country?

D.G.

If you didn't have shuttle launches, what the hell would people in florida do?

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

I don't know.....Gimme a minute....Gotta 6?......Go fish!!!!

D.G.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Couldn't imagine life without nasa. Some of my coolest early memories are of sitting indian style on the floor watching the launches.

As a "PROUD AMERICANE" I can say I didn't help put him in there .

Was that in school?I learned to put my head between my legs and kiss my ...goodbye.It was scary.

D.G.

NASA has been a part of my life. I certainly hope it survives.
As a kid of the 60's I grew up several miles from the NASA facility at Langley AFB in Va. I can still remember the distant roar of the "big" wind tunnel occasionally spinning up, night or day. There were several, but you always knew when the "big one" was in use. Whenever I was on base with my parents, I would ask them to drive through the NASA area.
I also remember seeing my teachers cry in 1967 when the 3 astronauts died in the Apollo 204 capsule fire at Cape Kennedy. Mercury Blvd. was the main drag, named after the Mercury Space program. Along that road is the Virgil Grissom Bridge. Further down that same road is the Aerospace Park, with winged craft and rockets from the 50's and 60's. I used to climb the steel steps to peer into the cockpits of the planes and imagine flying through the air in one of them.

Today, my brother-in-law operates some of the remaining wind tunnels at NASA. They are slowly being phased out. What remains mostly gets leased for private company research. He used to help with some Winston Cup team aero testing, but even they have gone elsewhere.
With our country's current fiscal mess, it doesn't surprise me that NASA would be a prime target for cut-backs. But I don't have to like it.

NASA needs to be abolished. I worked at NASA when I owned my own engineering firm in the '80's. It was obsolete then. NASA largest customer is the Air Force and CIA. It's like money laundering with the federal budget. There are real private firms that are making more advances in space then NASA can accomplish with 1000x the money. Our government uses the 1960 pride we had in beating Russia into space (oh wait, we didn't beat anyone did we) to fund an incredibly inefficient bureaucracy whose only really accomplishment is to secretly support the defense agencies. Many huge America telecommunications companies are going overseas to launch their satellites.

The sun dying isn't going to happen.
obama also said NASA should find out how to get along with muslims.
I already know, but I can't post it here.
I received a transistor radio in ~~1957 very small for it's day. The space race did that and much more for electronics.
I know this is an old website, but not much was put in here.

In the early days, NASA was vital to our space program. Rocket development was in the early stages. Now, technical knowledge from 60 years of space program is available to anybody. It makes sense that private companies could do the routine jobs like lifting into orbit. NASA has a lot of unmanned projects that have paid off in big time in exploration. The payoff from pure exploration probably doesn't come until much later and comes in technical advancements that companies can then exploit and keep our economy strong. I think NASA is well suited for spending money on research w/o seeing a quick and direct return.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Tang didn't even make the list. Tells you how cool the top 25 are . . .

25 Coolest NASA Discoveries That Changed Your Life

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

NASA is very worthwhile... IN THEORY.

However if you read a lot of what Jerry Pournelle (scientist and SF writer) writes, IN PRACTICE it often works to the detriment of the exploration of space, ESPECIALLY manned exploration.

I worked at NASA Lewis in the '80s and '90s, and NASA is DEFINITELY a government organization with all that entails.

For every von Braun there's a Lois Lerner.

I am a results guy-
Why are American Astronauts riding Russian rockets?

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Well, what if Glasnost really didn't mean "transparency" and Perestroika really didn't mean "restructuring" like we were told but in fact really mean "Their Space Station will be ours" and "They will ride in our rockets!"

It's a consiracy, man, don't you see it?

Is NASA a waste of money? No.

Does NASA waste money? Yes.

If you allow a govt agency to waste money it will.

Sure NASA is expensive but can You even imagine the cost and quality of things if the Public sector was doing those things?

Doing what things???? Waste our tax dollars by the billions??? NASA is one of, if not the biggest waste' of money in this country. The day I get elected president me and the dude in charge of that outfit are going to have a sit down, and I mean within minutes of my inauguration. Swear in, hand on the bible and then it's, "you there...head NASA moron, meet me in the oval office not now, RIGHT NOW!!!!!
He is going to tell me exactly what they have accomplished and just why they need to stay operational. Then, no matter what he says I am shutting them down. And I don't mean now, RIGHT NOW. GONE as in cease to exist, every last worthless money wasting one of them.
It is absolutely ridiculous, we got people starving to death, sleeping out in the cold and those idiots are flying around in their multi BILLION dollar toys. And what have they ever accomplished besides wasting a lot of tax money???? ZERO

We couldn't make an Apollo capsule today, we don't have the skill or tooling and every template used doesn't exist anymore.

The could make a gutted Apollo with basic controls to get it in and out of orbit instead of the moon and carry 6 people per trip with cargo in the service module where all the supplies for going to the moon aren't stored.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"