Let's support space science programs

The Penny4NASA campaign's mission is to increase federal funding of space science programs. NASA is underfunded, and “We the People” want to do something about it. Notable figures, such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, have asserted that if we double the budget of NASA to 1 percent of the total federal budget, we will be able to return to the moon, go to Mars and beyond, soon.

See, NASA's budget is about 0.4 percent of the federal budget. This campaign is not asking for much - $850 billion was spent on the bank bailout, more than NASA has received in all 54 years of its existence. Think of it this way: For less than the price of the bailout, we have paid for all the moon landings, all the astronauts, the missions to Mars, the Hubble space telescope, the International Space Station, all 10 NASA centers, the Kepler observatory, the Voyager missions. The list could go on, but I digress.

In short, NASA is underfunded to do what it needs to do: making dreams come true. “How much would you pay for the universe?” For a manned mission to Mars? For a secure future for your children? For all the technologies - LEDs, artificial limbs, memory foam, water purification, pollution remediation and freeze drying and many more - NASA has inspired? How about one penny on the dollar? You have a voice. More information can be found online by Googling “penny4nasa.”

Ben Ungs

Marion