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NASA Space Missions Should Be Grounded
Since it was established in 1958, the National Aerospace and Science Administration (NASA) has spent more than 500 billion dollars on space exploration. Budget proposals for
NASA can top nineteen billion dollars a year. Recent government projects include funding a space mission to Mars as well as a mission to
Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. However, spending billions of dollars in space is a mistake. The United States government should stop spending money on space missions. These
missions are too often unsuccessful, resulting in significant financial loss. Private agencies can conduct similar work at a lower cost, so many of NASA's efforts are unnecessary. The hefty price tag that comes with space exploration is not worth it, especially on those occasions when NASA's efforts fail. Unsuccessful space missions can cost the country billions of dollars. For example, while attempting to launch a climate satellite named Glory in 2011, NASA's Taurus
XL rocket malfunctioned, causing the satellite to plummet back to Earth.
At the time, the financial loss was estimated at 424 million dollars.
Moreover, the losses of the NASA space program are not just counted in dollars and cents. In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry to Earth. Not only did this disaster cost the country 13 billion dollars, it also claimed the lives of seven astronauts. The Columbia catastrophe recalls a similar loss that occurred with the explosion during takeoff of the space shuttle
Challenger in 1986. This accident cost the nation more than 5 billion dollars and seven astronauts their lives. These losses come on top of NASA's yearly budget of approximately 18 billion dollars per year, a major part of the total yearly spending on scientific research in the United States. At the time of NASA's founding, the goal of space exploration seemed worth the risk and expense it might incur. NASA was created during the Cold War, a conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. The two superpowers competed with each other to advance in their military and scientific efforts. Space exploration was one area for that competition and
became known as the
"space race." The Soviet Union's launch of the satellite Sputnik into space in 1957 was taken as a sign that it was winning this space race. The United States responded by founding NASA and announcing the goal of putting a man on the moon, which it achieved in 1969. At the time, NASA was an important symbol of national pride and scientific innovation. It is true that NASA has continued to be a driving force behind advances in science and technology, even after the end of the Cold War. Satellite communications, weather forecasting, and GPS would not exist without space-related research. Other advances-including modern robotics, computer technology, and digital
photography-have come out of NASA's work in space. Furthermore, experts claim that research on space weather is important for protecting satellites and preventing blackouts. While NASA's space missions once made these advances possible, space research costs NASA billions of dollars.
Private companies can take over where NASA leaves off-and they can do so with a smaller price tag. Since space travel by private agencies was legalized in 2004, several companies have begun doing similar work as NASA. For example, private companies now send cargo to the
International Space Station using their own space shuttles. More significantly, private companies are now conducting space missions at a fraction of the cost of NASA's efforts. To illustrate,
NASA spent around 4 billion dollars annually on its discontinued space shuttle program, which had averaged five shuttle launches per year-or close to a billion dollars per launch. By contrast, private companies average around 50 million dollars per launch. It's hard to overlook the difference in these price tags. Letting private agencies take over some of the missions NASA once conducted could save money and achieve the same goals. Despite the great scientific and technological advances that have been made through space
exploration, it is time to end NASA's space mission program.
Private companies have shown that they can conduct the same space-related research for less money. If we want to keep moving forward, NASA must stop spending billions of dollars on missions to outer space.
What is the author's main claim or argument?
A. The U.S. government should stop spending money on missions to space.
B. The U.S. government should shut down NASA and related government agencies.
C. The U.S. government should cooperate with other countries to send missions to space.
D. The U.S. government should demand that NASA improve its success rate.
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