Ever since the JWST launched i've been going down the astronomy rabbit hole and wanting to see more and more missions launched, but their budget doesn't allow them to do nearly as much as they'd like.
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Would you support doubling NASA's budget?
- Thread starter ArkhamFantasy
- Start date
Space isn't going to save the human race. Space exploration is largely a vanity project that was always more about projecting strength and national superiority than anything else. Every penny that you put into NASA is a penny you COULD have put into developing technologies and way to, well, save the planet. Hell, you could have just given it away to developing nations to pay them to keep away from their fossil fuels.
When we aren't headed towards extinction, sure, let's chase the stars (even then, NASA probably isn't the organisation to do that, though.) Until then it's way, way, way down the list of useful ways to spend billions of dollars. Just because it's better than pumping it into the military doesn't make it a good or useful cause.
When we aren't headed towards extinction, sure, let's chase the stars (even then, NASA probably isn't the organisation to do that, though.) Until then it's way, way, way down the list of useful ways to spend billions of dollars. Just because it's better than pumping it into the military doesn't make it a good or useful cause.
This. The military budget is absolutely insane and I feel like so much of it just goes into the pockets of CEOs of Defense Contractors.
I'm pretty sure NASA does a bunch of climate work.
Technologies they develop for the space program often also end up having applications outside of space. When it comes to research and development it's wise to put your eggs in many baskets.
That's where I'm at as well. There is the argument that space related research has also lead to advances in technology that has been useful elsewhere, but why not directly invest in useful research instead of hoping that it may occur as a byproduct.
I mean I guess in some hypothetical scenario where this is up to any of us and not a supremely well-funded network of oligarchs and war profiteers, and it's some zero sum game where we can choose for it to come from the military.
do you really think anyone here would say no? like you might as well ask if people would support doubling the birthday cake and ice cream budget. or the cute little gnomes and faeries budget. pure fuckin fantasy.
but sure yes.
do you really think anyone here would say no? like you might as well ask if people would support doubling the birthday cake and ice cream budget. or the cute little gnomes and faeries budget. pure fuckin fantasy.
but sure yes.
yea like on the battlefield lol. that's also why I find rooting for money to go to space exploration in its extant forms instead of the military budget. it's all military baby
Oh sure, but that is the same argument that something like Formula 1 gives to argue for their existence. Sure, yes, you also develop useful technologies that you hope will make their way into normal cars at some point...but that's really not the point. It's kind of a side product of the hundreds of millions of dollar you spend to make cars go fast around a track.
It would be absolutely mindboggling to imagine what these 17 billion dollars they put into their constantly failing Space Launch System could have done...well, anywhere else, pretty much. Heres one example: In 2021, the UN propoesed they needed $6.6 billion to feed 42 million people in 2022.
Posts like these make me sad. NASA invests heavily into studying the effects of climate change as well as earth sciences in general with a whole host of partners from around the world.
People have such a myopic idea of what NASA does and I typically don't blame the general public because that is NASA's PR face but they do so much more.
Closest thing to world learning right now. The other thing is CERN.
NASA is severly underpaid compared to say, the military complex. And they do more than the latter.
I believe that space is the future for humanity and I believe that NASA should be leading that future, but I don't know enough about their long term goals or how well they're using their money today to say whether or not we should double their budget. In the grand scheme of US spending, it's a trivial amount, but if they all do is fail to hit their deadlines and kick the can down the road on manned missions, then the money might be better spent elsewhere.
So much this. So sad to see humanity lose so much years of research because of the fucking military, a pointless and primitive institution.
That's not really how revolutionary scientific discovery works, though.
Only if it's being taken directly from military spending.
I'd much rather kill two birds with one stone.
I'd much rather kill two birds with one stone.
Not US based but isn't a lot of it wasted too and given to friends and probably lobbyists?
Less than 1/3 of NASA's budget is attributed to scientific research:
Of that $7.6 billion, only $2.06 billion is attributed to what they call "Earth Science":
NASA Budget: FY22 Outcomes and FY23 Request
NASA’s science budget is increasing by 4% in fiscal year 2022 and the Biden administration is seeking a 5% increase for fiscal year 2023. The agency’s Earth Science Division would receive a relatively large boost under the proposal, but there would be some pressure on the budgets for the Planetary…
www.aip.org
I'd rather some money go toward space study and exploration rather than weapons to subjugate and kill humans but unfortunately America doesn't have that sort of priority
I was born on the anniversary of the moon landing.
I honestly believe that space travel can unit humans in a way nothing else can. And the tech that comes from space travel will benefit everyone. So dump all the wasted military budget of buying shit event the Pentagon says "Don't want it, don't need it" and throw it at NASA.
Also Space Force is stupid. Do not militarize space!
We have treaties to keep weapons out of space for a reason.
I honestly believe that space travel can unit humans in a way nothing else can. And the tech that comes from space travel will benefit everyone. So dump all the wasted military budget of buying shit event the Pentagon says "Don't want it, don't need it" and throw it at NASA.
Also Space Force is stupid. Do not militarize space!
We have treaties to keep weapons out of space for a reason.
City / Public infrastructure as well
Even if we did do massive military budget cuts, space travel shouldn't really be a priority when there's so much shot on earth that needs way more attention imo. We can focus on space after we clean up all the other bullshit.
I think I formulated it badly. What I believe is that investing money in research that focuses on solving our currently most pressing issues directly will lead to better results than research that (mostly) focuses on goals (especially space travel) that lead nowhere. I won't deny that important discoveries can be made while pursuing such goals, but I do think that in total it is less efficient & effective than pursuing different goals from the beginning.
NASA's budget is approximately 2% of the United States military's budget.
So yeah, give NASA like 20x the budget and take it away from the military.
Not that that would ever happen.
So yeah, give NASA like 20x the budget and take it away from the military.
Not that that would ever happen.
Asteroid mining will be a complete game changer one day that will help save the planet. Definitely more than a vanity project. But we need to invest more in our space programs to get there.
OP
OP
My gym has Fox News on 24/7, the only time i've ever seen a show of bipartisan support from that TV was when the JWST images came out a few weeks ago, their graphic said "worth every penny", think about how many young people are going to be inspired to get into science because of NASA, and the tech they develop along the way that will be useful outside of taking space pictures, all for pennies in comparison to something like Military spending.
Plus.....it's just really awesome and gives you things to look forward to every once in a while.
In the scheme of things NASA's budget being doubled wouldn't really move the needle either way on funding healthcare. You need to look at stuff like the military budget if you want to change things.
I'm only saying yes because NASA's budget is already relatively small. We lose nothing doubling it if it comes out of the military's share, but ultimately there are other causes I would put our ridiculous military budget to that are more pressing and important to me.
