The Buckingham

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NASA is at the forefront of innovation in America. They are the leading technology developers within our government, and have contributed more to our daily lives than most people acknowledge. Thanks to NASA, we have satellite TV, cordless power tools, and even shoe soles. Yet somehow the government continues to slash NASA’s budget. Thanks in large part to the budget crisis and bank bailouts; NASA was forced to take a 2.5% budget reduction for the next fiscal year. President Obama signed off on a budget dedicating $17.7 Billion to NASA, but while this number seems high, this reduction may compromise a planned international mission to Mars. Often when there is trouble on our own planet we have little concern for the other planets in our solar system. Poverty, food shortages, and natural disasters obviously take first priority, but the NASA budget accounts for only 0.5% of the United States budget. To continue innovating, NASA needs proper funding.

The planned Mars mission will give scientists enough intelligence to determine whether there was ever life on Mars. This mission has been in the works for over ten years, yet the budget has put the mission at a crossroad. Currently the projections for the NASA budget are set to rise in 2016 and 2017, but those are just projections and not promises. The one positive from the budget cuts is that funding for the James Webb telescope will not be effected.