US Government Funding for NASA
Counter Arguments Stressing NASA's Economic Detriments
Counter Argument: The Financial Cost of Funding NASA is Too Large
- $200 billion on space shuttle program since 1970s.
- NASA is currently funded at nearly $20 billion per year.
- This takes away from government and financial focus on other economic issues.
Rebuttal
Government funding for NASA is a substantial amount. However:
- NASA's funding is only 1/200 of the total US government's budget.
- NASA profits more than it costs to fund it.
- The government gave funds of $25 billion to NASA in 1958.
- This, however, resulted in a national profit of nearly $200 billion by the late 1980s.
- In 1975, the economy gained $150 billion through an increase in manufacturing.
- In the 1960s, NASA saved the economy $20 billion though its weather monitoring technology.
- Many other government programs have government funding that is nearly 50 times larger than that of NASA.
Counter Argument: The Earth's More Pressing Issues Deserve More Attention and Government Funding Than NASA's Operations
It is important to focus on "the one planet [we have]."