“Bring in asteroid. A bit more, alright, release.” The asteroid slowly picks up speed as gravity begins to pull it toward the red planet. The asteroid crashes into the planet adding mass to the atmosphere and allowing the planet, slowly to regain the atmosphere that it once had. This is called terraforming. It may seem like science fiction, but this is very much a possibility.

Humanity has already been to the moon, and space probes have been sent to almost all of the planets and some of the moons in our solar system. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) projects have improved our everyday lives in their efforts to explore space.

Unfortunately, most of NASA’s budget has been cut over the last decade. This past year, NASA saw cuts of over $300 million from last year. One of the largest costs that these cuts have contributed to is the lack of manned shuttle launches. The majority of these missions are being replaced by drones and rovers.

The Obama administration has set the goal of an asteroid landing by 2025 and Mars by 2030. However, NASA recently requested additional funds that would move the asteroid mission up to the year 2017. This request was rejected by the U.S. House of Representatives, calling it a distraction. In the end, these cuts are decreasing the functionality of NASA as an organization.

Many of the critiques of NASA regard the organization as a failure to achieve the goals that were laid out for it. In essence, NASA costs too much and does too little. While many of NASA’s projects have cost millions of dollars, NASA has achieved many great accomplishments and is still working on many right now. The most notable of these projects is the 1969 trip to the moon. The entire world watched as Neil Armstrong stepped out and gave his famous speech. During this time, NASA saw a huge growth of aerospace engineers. Everyone wanted to be a part of the space race. People dreamt of going to the moon, not just beating the Soviets there. At that time, NASA wasn’t just the organization that explored space, it opened the door for people to dream about the future. In years after, the manned program saw a decline, and soon budget cuts began.

Through the many projects, research and multitudes of experiments that NASA has conducted, NASA has generated many everyday products. The bedding known as “Memory Foam” is likely widely known, but some of the lesser-known inventions that NASA generated include water filters, insoles for shoes and scratch resistant lenses. Many more are sure to come as years progress and inventors begin to dream solutions to the problems that humanity faces.

With the proposed bill, NASA will see an increase in budget, which brings the goals closer to a reality. In this process, the door will reopen, and NASA will allow people to dream again. NASA is not an organization that drowns in money, but instead, it allows people to dream of reaching the stars.

jkirk@mavs.coloradomesa.edu