My Thoughts on NASA’s Budget

What’s up with NASA’s budget? Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down NASA’s budget and the argument that the money should be used for other problems here on Earth. How much is the universe worth to you?

Neil talks about the value of exploration and whether NASA’s budget is a lot of money compared to the federal budget. Did NASA’s budget used to be bigger? Should NASA’s budget be bigger? Neil shares his thoughts on the issue…

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: NASA’s Budget
00:32 - Allegory of the Cave
1:55 - The Cost of NASA
5:10 - NASA in the 60’s
6:41 - The Price of the Universe

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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[StarTalk]

🌌🚀 What makes NASA’s budget and space exploration so exciting and important to you? Let’s discuss the balance between cosmic curiosity and earthly concerns!

[JonSnowsGhost]

NASA budget - $25B
Pentagon- $220B was lost or misplaced and it was only discovered after an audit.

[aleksandarstevanovic]

to add to it... UV sunglasses, cordless vacuum cleaners, digital cameras, baby formulas, workout machines, GPS system, laptops, airplanes and many more developed by NASA

[genome]

Neil just got away with calling people who don't like NASA cave dwellers 💀

[jasonlandry]

What those who balk at the NASA budget should worry about is "why is that other 99.65% not solving the issues they think NASA's budget could?"

[brigitgoddess]

My husband is a planetary geologist with NASA. When he started back in the early 80s, 1 in 3 proposals written by researchers were granted and funded. It's now 1 in 11. Needless to say-it's discouraging for him. NASA is funded like the red-headed stepchild of US agencies, despite its research being extremely useful here on Earth- and despite being very good at doing MORE with LESS. Not sure how this can be solved.

[AviatorJ]

Two major points not discussed here: the military budget is approaching $1 trillion (which is excessive to be sure, especially outside of war time) and don't forget that the second A in NASA stands for aeronautics. NASA does a lot of useful research in the aviation field and they have programs that improve safety as well. The space stuff makes most headlines but they have made important strides in aerospace technology and safety.

[Meme_dad]

I love how the thumb nail is Neil giving the fed a finger

[fuzzycuffs]

people who say 'we should spend money down here instead of up there' seem to not want to spend money to solve problems down here either. healthcare? education? homelessness? nah, can't spend on that!

[corradoborean]

I’m not a US citizen but NASA gave me plenty of value. Inspiration, knowledge, technology, entertainment and pure emotions. I would be glad to give NASA 1$ for every year of my existence as an inhabitant of the planet erth.

[Silvia]

Neil, the world needs more people like you! ❤

[Ryusennin]

NASA budget: $25 billion.

Microsoft acquisition of Activision: $70 billion.

[FinxOmally]

NASA is INCREDIBLY LIKELY to be a net positive to the budget. With all the science that comes from it, and the money that science generates.

[Hogstrictors]

15 seconds in and i had a feeling Platos cave allegory was coming up. Such a relevant example of solving problems.

[JoshuaDStewart]

Imagine what NASA could do with double the budget. And that is still only 0.6%.

[vykintasmorkvenas]

Almost a TRILLION for ARMS and we want to call us a civilisation...

[jewersp]

People, especially those not interested in science or without scientific understanding, often underappreciate the value that space exploration and astronomy bring to humankind's progress. Teflon, digital camera technology, GPS, and many other inventions were only possible because of our exploration of the universe. Furthermore, understanding processes in the bigger picture helps us understand the smaller things, from fusion to evolution, from climate change to efficient energy technology, science, and especially space exploration, has always contributed to our discoveries and advancements. Apart from that, it's so fascinating how small we are compared to the universe, which should make us all so much more humble and appreciate life.

[sirwilliamkarl]

Looks like about 20 billion a year in oil subsidies. And for that we get... high gas prices?

[JohnBare]

It annoys me to no end when someone makes a statement like "We are spending too much money in Space!" In space? Nary a nickle that I know of has been spent in space it's all spent right here on Terra Firma. Creates jobs, creates new technologies and all right down to earth for the benefit of all Earthlings. I was in my 20's during the Space Race and I sure remember all the things we did not have that we do now many of which are direct spinoffs from the space program back then and continue to this day. The ISS is doing pure research that can't be don on earth. The research is in space but the money was all spent building and researching the experiments again right on the good old Earth. No money spent in space so far. Sure it's just semantics but the fact that they think the money has somehow reached escape velocity and vanished into the "interstellar medium!" Annoys me something fierce.

[PsychoPills-yxlc]

People who complain about NASA being a waste of money have never understood why we want to explore more universe.