Space Fact #20: This Movie Could Fund NASA in One Weekend
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The Martian took in more box office receipts on its opening weekend than NASA’s daily budget.
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Is Space Worth It?
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The most common argument against a publicly funded space program is that we can’t afford it, given the government’s many other priorities. The most common answer is that space makes an excellent public investment. But if it is a good investment, why not leave space to private investors?
Read MoreWhy You Don't See NASA on This Pie Chart
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The truth is, NASA would be invisible even if you doubled its budget. That's how skewed the public's view of space is.
Read MoreDo We Need Human Exploration?
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We could go to Mars with robots alone and still conduct good science. But that approach will never get us to Mars; and we happen to be humans, not robots
Read MoreFully Funding NASA Will Cost You 10 Bucks
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The amount NASA needs is comparable to someone with an income of $60,000 spending $10 annually on space.
Read MoreSpace Fact #19: NASA's Spend Is Down 25%
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Over the previous three decades, our nation’s leaders have reduced NASA’s buying power by 25%.
Read MoreSpace Fact #18: When NASA Was Born, Top Earners Paid 90% in Taxes
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When Eisenhower created NASA, the highest earners in America were paying a top marginal tax rate of more than 90%; it is now just over 39%.
Read MoreYou Can't Budget Space in a Year
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The most efficient way to execute a project is to undertake an in-depth planning study followed by a design phase with rigorous reviews, then go through a build-and-test phase and, finally, flight. This process demands a certain funding profile to shorten the schedule and minimize total costs. The common way of federal budgeting, a “flat-funding” profile that maintains the same amount of money throughout a project’s lifespan, is inefficient.
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