Is Money Spent On Space Exploration A Waste?

When looking at the expenses associated with space exploration and how they are paid for, it must be broken down into two categories. First, government funded space exploration through programs like NASA and second, privately funded space exploration through companies like Space X and others. When asking whether or not money spent on space exploration is a waste, it is best to look only at the government funded side since private individuals and companies should choose to spend or invest their money in any way they see fit, whether it is wasteful or not. Looking at NASA and other state funded agencies around the world, however, there can be a strong case made that it is a waste (Flowers, 2000).

While these state funded agencies have undoubtedly pushed space exploration forward significantly over the years, that does not necessarily mean it was not done wastefully. Currently, NASA alone spends nearly $20 billion per year (Flowers, 2000). This money funds a wide range of different missions, none of which are strictly required for the flourishing of the citizens of the United States. Since all of this funding comes from taxes, which are taken from the people, many will agree that it is wasteful. The individuals throughout the country who do not support space exploration, are still forced to pay for it with their money.

Any time the government is involved in anything, it is going to be done quite inefficiently. This is because the government has very little responsibility to show a good return on investment. The government as a whole, and individual agency like NASA, don t earn the money they are getting. In many cases, the money allocated to different agencies is done more based on political favors and lobbying rather than the real merits of a given area. When operating in this fashion, waste is rarely minimized and sometimes it is even encouraged. This is one proof that state money spent on space exploration is a waste.

Of course, a return on investment or maximizing efficiency is not always the goal of every human action. Many people would say that the scientific knowledge and discoveries that are made possible by space exploration more than justify the expenses associated with it. This is likely true given the fact that there have been so many life changing discoveries and inventions made directly or indirectly because of space exploration. The question is, however, whether or not this type of advancement could be done better by private institutions if NASA and other agencies hadn t monopolized the space exploration industry (McCurdy, 2001). While there is no way to know for certain, there can be a very strong argument that this is the case.

As you can see, even supporters of space exploration in general can see that state funded space exploration is very wasteful. Phasing out NASA and other government programs dedicated to space exploration and handing over the responsibility to the private sector will almost certainly result in a more efficient and effective program. While this is not likely to happen right away, we are already seeing many private companies entering the space industry and making some incredible progress. Over the next several years, we will have significant evidence that these private companies are able to conduct space exploration better, cheaper, safer and with far less waste (McCurdy, 2001).

References

Flowers, S. (2000). Space exploration: A pro/con issue. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow.

McCurdy, H. E. (2001). Faster, better, cheaper: Low-cost innovation in the U.S. space program. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.