The importance of putting money towards space exploration and education
By: KATIE LEICHT
Art & Life Editor
The government loves to spend a taxpayer’s money — of that I am sure. What I’m starting to question is this: what exactly are they spending it on? Furthermore, what are they not spending it on? I think it is really heartbreaking to realize just how little the government cares about funding space travel and astronomy programs.
It seems to me as if the government does not want to understand where we are cosmically. Maybe they have forgotten that our real address is the Milky Way Galaxy. I can understand that spending can only stretch so far, but I am worried that there will come a day when the government will regret their decision not to fund space programs that will educate us on the universe.
Luckily, we have programs like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Program that conduct research about the wonders of outer space. Unfortunately, in spring 2015, NASA’s website announced the budget for its Earth Science Program was cut by the United States government by over $300 million. That budget cut was for research done on our planet, not to mention how much is not being spent on research for other space-related matters.
Recently, the funding for space education has been cut drastically as well. According to NASA’s website, in 2014 the budget for space education was cut by $28 million, a 24 percent drop, making the budget $89 million.
In theory, this seems like a large amount of funding for space education, but it really is not. Eighty-nine million dollars for one full year of space education is nothing but a drop of water in the ocean of funding. To me, this is beyond unacceptable.
How can this be all the government is allowing to be spent on space education? Space is not something we should be ignoring. I truly believe most people do not realize that we are physically in space at this very moment in time.
If the human race gets too wrapped up in pointless matters (social media, for example) then what does this say for our planet’s future — for the future of our Milky Way Galaxy?
Unfortunately, our planet is something we are definitely taking for granted, especially since the government refuses to put more towards funding space-related programs, education and explorations.
It infuriates me that the government is putting more than half of the United States’ total mandatory spending into the military, according to nationalpriorities.org.
Although I do agree it is important to have a strong military that is not the point; the point is that so many other areas of the United States are neglected, especially the funding for space.
I believe in the near future, the government is going to have to realize they need to start putting more of the nation’s budget into space travel, explorations and education.
What will we do as a species when space begins to dictate the way we live, and we do not have the education to know what is happening? What happens when our ignorance permanently ruins the planet?
The day something finally goes wrong here on Earth will be the day the government regrets its decisions on the country’s spending. The human race has the power to change this epidemic of ignorance, and I hope this day comes sooner rather than later – for the sake of the human race, our planet and our galaxy.
