NASA FUNDING DEBATE TAKES SHAPE

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 15, 2015 (Washington D.C.)--Should NASA focus less of its money on planet earth, and more on distant stars and galaxies?

That’s an argument of galactic proportions that’s shaping up in Congress.  NASA has requested a 3% increase in its budget for the next year, seeking $18.5 billion total. Of that, only a little over 10%, is slated to go toward earth science programs such as satellites to monitor storms and climate changes, while 90% goes for space-oriented projects.

Republican leaders, who don’t believe in global climate change, want NASA’s focus to shift toward more space exploration and not projects here on earth.  

Senator Cory Gardener, a Republican in Texas, asks derisively, “Are we focusing on the heavens in NASA or are we focusing on dirt in Texas?”

But scientists are backing NASA.  Christine MeEntee, head of the American Geophysical Union, has written that “Earth science within NASA provides a broad array of benefits and applications across the public and private sectors.

For example, NASA has helped with response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. NASA satellites help track hurricanes, shrinking polar ice caps, and water levels in California.

Those problems aren’t getting any smaller, despite some Congressional members’ desire to shrink the budget for studying these earthly concerns.


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.