April 23, 2012

Letter to the Editor: One Penny (of the budget) for NASA


Read and share Coalition Director Art Harman's letter to the editor to the Washington Times; in support of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson's proposal to double the NASA budget to just one penny on the dollar of the budget. Americans will not prosper if we let China become the undisputed leader in high tech and space.

(Excerpts) Sadly, I must agree with the Washington Times editorial “America, we have a problem” (Wednesday). Americans indeed watched the arrival of the Space Shuttle Discovery with bittersweet emotions as one of humanity’s greatest technological accomplishments majestically arrived to become a museum exhibit and a tribute to our past greatness.

Both NASA and commercial ventures are, in fact, building the next generation of launch vehicles, including the Space Launch System, which is capable of taking us to the moon, asteroids and Mars. But without setting specific, bold goals and timetables, NASA and space advocates face great impediments in arguing for exciting new missions and, even more urgently, in sparing NASA from even more cuts...

How can we maintain the lead in space and help launch our nation back toward a proud future? Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently testified to the U.S. Senate on the need to double NASA’s budget, which is less than half of 1 percent of the U.S. budget. An increase to just one penny on the budget dollar would not break the budget, particularly as far greater sums are being saved as U.S. forces are reduced in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read the full text at: www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/21/cutting-space-program-lets-others-overtake-us/

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