Team Opinion

NASA has very high expectations for the future. Lori Garver, NASA’s Deputy Administrator, said, “NASA’s best days are certainly in front of us, as are America’s best days.” According to www.nasa.gov, the International Space Station will be maintained throughout the year for the foreseeable future. Unmanned spacecrafts will be launched with the purpose of exploring and researching planets, stars, etc. such as Saturn, Jupiter, and Ceres. Plans have also been made for transporting humans to asteroids, the Moon, and other planets, such as Mars. Although these plans could revolutionize space travel and humans’ understanding of space, some may not be realized.

Over the past 20 years, NASA’s yearly budget has consistently shrunk. According to www.nasa.gov, it is expected to represent less than .5% of the yearly Federal Budget in 2012. In constant dollars, it is less than ⅔ of what it was in the mid-1960s. This restricts NASA’s financial capabilities immensely. Although recent laws, including the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, support funding for the growth of NASA’s commitment to space travel and research, it may not be enough to fund the array of future projects.

Although NASA has retired the shuttle program, which according to NASA’s most recent budget request, took up almost a tenth of its total budget in 2011, there are many new programs in the works. “By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth.” said President Barack Obama in a speech regarding NASA. Because of the cost of these new programs, NASA will have to begin requesting larger budgets. If NASA is to achieve its goals, those requests must be approved through the legislative process. If not, U.S. dominance in space exploration may come to a premature end.

If NASA actually does obtain more funding from Congress and the President, plans to land humans on Mars may actually become feasible. Advances in technology could allow NASA to reach further than ever before. There have been budget cuts recently, but NASA still believes in the possibility of continuing current plans. According to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, "For 50 years, American astronauts have led the exploration of our solar system. Today we are getting a glimpse of why that will remain true for the next half-century. Make no mistake about it, human space flight is alive and well at NASA."