Questions Of the Day: Is America’s Space Program Worth the Money?

No. Save the money and spend it where it matters.

I live in Huntsville Al.Where Marhsall space flight center and Nasa as well as Redstone Arsenal are. I consider the space program to be as an important as our defense spending. They are intertwined in a sense.

No way. Take that money and spend it in more urgent areas.

Of course it’s worth it.

Absolutely not. I think it’s a horrendous waste of money.

No.

POSITIVELY!!! So MANY people don’t realize what the space program has done for our lives….transistor advancements, computer advancements, medicine, technology, and country pride!!

Absolutely not. It’s a total waste of taxpayer money.

It is a pathetic waste of money that we can’t afford. When it started it was a competition for bragging rights. Now we are combining with Russia. We need the money here a great deal more.

No! it is definitely not worth it. We need to take care of business at home and help the economy here. The money should be spent more wisely. There are people losing their jobs, homes and lives and going out to space isn’t doing any good. We can’t afford to be continuing at this point in this recession.

No. Stop spending all money on space programs NOW. And………if the space program hadn’t chosen to throw it’s junk and garbage away, the incident today would have been avoided. We cannot afford to finance this program and we CANNOT AFFORD to pollute the universe with it’s garbage.

Yes, absolutely. Estimates are that for every one dollar spent on space exploration, at least $7 in benefits; new technologies, jobs, technical leadership, etc. are returned. All our eggs are in the fragile basket of earth, and we must expand into the cosmos if we are to survive as a species.

Yes. NASA’s budget is a drop in the bucket and the returns are huge.

So many scientific advancements have come from our space program that it seems non-sensical to even have to ask the question. Sure, we can ditch the program but it will be a short-term savings at a very high cost.

Absolutely! It is an investment in the future. Something we’ve done less and less of in recent years.

It’s not only important, it’s necessary if we are to grow as a country and continue to be a world leader in technology and science. Other countries will (and are) beginning to make this investment in space, and should we fail to continue with such exploration, we will be abdicating our place as a major leader in technology.

lets do a full review of all agencies and look at where we’re wasting money on stupid things instead of taking aim at silly targets. Why not just shutter all the parks? Can and should every federal, state and local agency cut their spending and still accomplish their mission? Absolutely, based on feedback from virtually every federal employee I’ve talked to across at least 20 agencies.

no i think we need to get a real priority list going for the united staes

Here we go again. I feel like I am back in the 70′s defending the Apollo program. The spinoffs from the space program have paid for the program many times over.

ABSOLUTELY! The space program is worth every dollar spent. The ROI in technology and the advancement of human knowledge and understanding are invaluable to America and the world. NASA is not a perfect organization but all in all it does a magnificient job with the money Congress appropriates.

Yes, of course it is.

YES! We’re supposed to be explorers and space is what’s next! How else will we keep moving forward, inspiring our children to learn more and achieve higher goals?

No.

Yes America’s space program is worth the money, if the U.S. stopped investing in the Space program that would be a very big mistake. We have to continue trying to advance our technology in the Space program. What a dumb question.

Absolutely, the ‘Space Program’ is worth whatever the government spends. After all, not a single dime has ever actually been spent in space. All of the money spent is spent down here, creating jobs and sparking technological and scientific advances.

No, we have spent a lot of money on the space program that I feel was wasted. The government could help feed a lot of people and sen OUR kids to college for betterment of the society. I help feed a lot of people in our community and could use the help.

Yes, it is worth it. For one thing, it helps us stay competitive in the worldwide science community. Also, our only long-term hope for our species really is to eventually be able to expand out into space and colonize other worlds, and this goal we need to work for. It also provides, in the short term, technologies and science advancements that can greatly help us at home. And lastly, as a scientist, knowledge for the sake of knowledge is always worth it.

We all are be asked to “tighten our belts” and isn’t it time we do the same for other programs? We need to take a break with our spending… when and where does it start? We earthlings have been getting by with many of our belt tightening measures…NASA beam it off for awhile.

No — and it never has been. We should be spending this money for human services, not to promote science fiction. Send robots, not men…and use the savings to cure Cancer or Aids.

It is well worth every cent we put into it, no other program has given us a greater percentage of return.
hopefully when the time comes, if it ever does, we can have the means to relocate and continue the Human race.

NO This i have always thought was the biggest wast of MONEY in the world There are other things that could be used for like starving children, homeless,etc. I get so mad when i hear about space travel……. Lufkin tx.

we have to keep investing in space. if we don’t we will fall behind and someone else certainly will not. i know it’s easy in these troubled economic times to want to cut back on things like space investment but we simply cannot. i am all for reforming the process of how we do it but we must press on with space investment. ever heard of the saying “dominating the high ground”? that almost doesnt even start to describe why we need space and it’s resources.

What would have happened if Jefferson had not decided to send Lewis and Clark on a bold expedition into the unknown of the West? What would have happened if generations of Americans had not decided to make the dangerous and expensive trip to settle in that new land? What would have happened if Queen Isabella told Christopher Columbus that his crazy idea to sail to Asia by going East was not worth the cost to Spain? Where would we all be now?
We could be a few years away from the most important discovery of all.

NO NO
Doris

It is always worth it, we would be years behind with out it. where would your cell phone signal be without the space program. The US to avoid collisions like these again needs to figure out how to launch with very little debery. Also NASA keeps thousands employed with the shuttle program when that ends those thousands will be out of work and the financial situation will be worse.

You can’t enter and exit the space program without significant expense in the future. To re-start a program where you left off would be an outrageous expense. Progress is an investment! Hey, everyone, have a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers and relax – please!!

The space program is worth every dime, actually you can throw more money at it. This planet won’t be around forever and if we want to continue to exist we may have to find a new home some day.

Of course we still need the Space Program. If you cancel the Space Program, not only will you risk letting other countries get spy satellites and missiles into space, you will also lose several hundred jobs. I thought you politicians and media were trying to save jobs in this economy!?!

I think given the tough economic times, we should at a minimum consider scaling back the space program. Like we are doing to every other sector of our economy.

As a stem student in middle school i understand the absolute importance of space exploration. Yet the economy really needs help. I absolutely believe that space exploration is extremely important. Without it we would stop finding various opportunities and solutions to problems, just think about it where would we be WITHOUT space?

Big waste of money. One expensive bungle after another including one announced today that followed one announced yesterday. It’s nothing more than expensive hobby that we can’t afford. It hasn’t paid us back at all. Medical imaging would still be here today without it.

The space program provides jobs, increases our knowledge of space, the universe, and earth, and has created countless technological advances that are invaluable. Just a few examples of what came out of the space program include fuel cells, countless computer advances, and navigation and communications systems.

No, I don’t believe the space program is worth the money. Which is really more important: Fixing the economy or sending people up to observe space? Seriously. We have to get out of this recession.

The starving children will always be here as long as the human race continues to avoid birth control. It has nothing to do with the space program.

Yes, the space program is worth it. Almost all of the money spent is spent on very good jobs here on Earth and in the USA. The dollars spent on NASA and other very high tech research and development is economic stimulus of the very first order. It rewards hard work, high intelligence, and excellent education.

It is worth the money. We should probably be spending more. I think our future will one day depend on it.

Without the space program we would not have the massive communication system that we have today. It is a communication system that we now depend on. If the space program is discontinued, thousands will lose their jobs, in many fields of work.

I think we should continue putting money into the space program because America was first and because it was one of President Kennedy’s dreams for us.
We seem to be last in education, finances, and even health care. Let’s please be first with this and bring back some pride for Americans.
It’s sort of like the queen of England–she brings a lot of pride to an Englishman although no one can justify her existence.
I used to be so proud to be an American whenever we sent an astronaut into Space.

Is it worth it? Are you kidding me? We should be investing more!!! What the government spends on the space program is less than 1% of the federal budget. If we don’t continue our space program, both manned & unmanned, we will lose our superiority. We have the unreliable, fickle Russians whom we are stuck relying on for access to the ISS. We have China, India the Japanese now making a commitment to space – we must not lose this edge or we may lose much more!!!

The space program during the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo eras provided Jobs all over the US, Today more than ever a Healthy Active Space program will provide Jobs again as the US comes out of the current recession.it is also more important than ever that we forefill the Legacy of Apollo 1 Command Pilot Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee and the crews of the USS Challenger & Colombia and Endeavor who gave their lives for Mankind that we might inherit the Stars and have a better life here on Planet Earth!

When I read that 1200 people are living in tents outside Sacramento because they lost their homes and do not have a job, does anyone really think we can afford to spend money on the space program? Space can wait!

I feel like the space program is about as important as finding out why pigs stink. Signed short,sweet and I could use the money myself.

If the alternative is giving that money to the irresponsible congress that we have elected, then of course, the space program is worth it! At least, we’re furthering our education, instead of just alotting more money to “study swine odor” like the recently signed stimulus bill already did.

Now, more than ever, it’s worth the money.
As Americans, we can choose to become a backward country dependent on other nations for our future technologies and jobs, or we can invest in space exploration (and other technologies) and lead not our nation but the world into a prosperous future.
In hard times it is the “true” leaders that continue to invest in the future.

With the unemployment rate rising each day
the millions spent by NASA could be put to better use. How about feeding and housing those that have not only lost their jobs, but their homes as well.

Yes it is with out a doubt worth it and a whole lot more. I agree with a few of the others that said that the money we spend today we get back tomorrow and for many years. We’re spending a god awful amount of money on job creation right? Well what do you think the space program gives us. They might not be fancy jobs like flipping burgers but even mundane simple jobs like those of engineers are important too.

The program has not been worth it since it’s inception. What value have the American people received? It has been badly managed and over budget, It should be stopped

I don’t believe the space program was ever worth the money. Although it has helped create things like satellite TV and may have helped find thing to cure diseases. There is no other purpose for it except war, which something we all have enough of.

It definitely is worth it. People who disagree just need to do a little research to discover all the scientific benefits that the Space Program has brought about. We can’t afford not to continue to invest in the Space Program.

Funding of the Space Program is part of what I consider to be a very important part of government spending. Scientific research and development has resulted in the technologies that have made it possible for our species to survive on this planet. The space program is just one part of this ‘umbrella’ of spending. It is critical to continue supporting scientific endeavors, like the Space Program, so we all can live better and smarter lives.

It is too much money for so little return. Our researchers and scientists are on earth. Space should not be a competition of who does what first. Due to Americas situation at hand. I believe the “people” should be put first not the space program. Unfortunately for the space program, America has to prioritize. Space program will not aid in the financial market, healthcare nor home mortgages.
Maybe when the economy is much better.

Absolutely. Actually, I think we should spend more on the space program – but as a realist, I’ll settle for what we can get. The benefits of the program are infinite and the critics of the program are woefully short-sighted.

Yes it is. The spin-off technologies from investment in the space program easily justify it. NASA works with the private sector to transfer technologies that have improved our lives. One thing rarely mentioned when the value of NASA is questioned is that the NASA 2009 budget is only 17.8 billion which is miniscule compared to the total budget.

To cure all humanitarian problems is impossible, it is natures way of thing the herd, it just shows that Terra is over populated expanded. The space debris is not just ejected out there for no point what so ever it is part of multi-stage rocketry which needs to be improved. Robots are great for initial exploring but humans are the ones who can think and tell you what it is like on that foregin body. To keep going in space we need challanges from the current administration, Bush tried it but Obama needs to make it happen
How will the money saved put people back into their homes, the goverment cannot buy homes and say here! with a happy face it does not work like that.
Also NASA is on a thin line and has seen continuous pay cuts etc for some time, basically since Apollo ended.
Children need to have a better education we are last

Completly agree with Kurt above. The investment in the space program has helped this country and many other countries. Satellites that monitor weather, polution, land use,etc……..
Medical improvments,material science the list goes on. The space program and the investment the American taxpayer has made, has made mankind better.

If you consider the Return On Investment, NO. The Space Program is a bust. Some technology has come from it and some medicine. But would they have come anyway ? More than likely yes. Walk down any street in any town in America and ask the unemployed, the homeless, the hungry if they think that the space program is worth $20 million annually. Use the money for HEALTH CARE.

Yes! Put it to ya this way folks, NASA’s portion of the national budget is 0.6%. Dept of Housing gets twice that and we have people living on the streets. Dept of Education gets more than three times that and…well…we’re not the smartest country in the world. I would say NASA is a model of efficiency with it’s dollars compared to those departments. Let’s have a question about funding those ‘programs’!

A lesson from history. Sometime between the 16th and 18th centuries the great statue building culture of Easter Island collapsed into savagery and its population was reduced by about 60% by war and cannibalism. Why? They ran out of resources and could no longer get off the island so they turned to eating each other. We must get off the planet while we still can. NASA’s $17 billion budget accounts for about a half a penny out of every federal dollar. What other program does the government run that produces the medical and technological breakthroughs NASA does for that price?

A marathon runner would never stop and take a break until they weren’t feeling so tired. Neither should we.

A ridiculous question. Of course the Space Program is worth the money. Let us not forget all of the major advancements that the Program has already contributed to our life here on earth and the probability of future contributions in areas known and not yet perceived. Also let us not forget about all of the jobs and services that would be lost if the Program is scrapped. Don’t cut off your head to spite your face!

It is certainly worth the money. The space program spawns technological break throughs and attracts the best and brightest engineering talent. It is man’s nature to explore and seek knowledge beyond their immediate environment. The technological break throughs that will be developed in the vacuum of space are yet to be realized.

Personally, I think it would be incredibly short-sighted of us to even consider decreasing funding to the space program. Ultimately, there is a limit to the resources available on planet, and expansion into space is an inevitable necessity if we want to survive as a civilized culture. Everything else we do is merely purchasing time. More to the point, I think it is necessary that we actually increase funding to the space program and at the same time increase its mandate to finding ways to efficiently harvest the resources available in outer space. This should include creating a larger and more self-sufficient space-station, as well as plans for a mining colony of some sort on the moon. The fact is, at the rate we are going, a good portion of the planet will be under water by the middle of this century, and so lack of resources will become a larger problem as time goes on.

The NASA program has out lived it’s the real reason for it’s existence. Frankly, I like the phrase, “It’s a welfare program for engineers and scientists.” No more money for NASA.

Based on meteorite fragments we know the average asteroid has enough gold to supply entire world demand for several thousand years. With structural material from the Moon, Mercury, and the asteroids and with ices, hydrocarbons, and gasses from the moons of Jupiter and Saturen we can build space stations with Earthlike hills, rivers, lakes, forests and weather. From the Asteroid Belt alone there is enough material to build a living area 3,000 times the size of Earth. By the middle of this century “wagon trains” will be leaving Earth to build such homesteads.

No. Think of how the money could be used on the ground for schools/education, programs, etc. We’ve been there, done that. Anyone know how much the space program costs the country/year?

Yes, for all we have gained from the space program, how can anyone ask this question.

NO! Give it to the 1500 poor people living in tents in California

absolutely not.

Yes it’s worth it.It’s time we mothball the Space Shuttles,and start building the U.S.S.Enterprize.Keep up the good spending, N.A.S.A.

When Lindbergh flew to Paris it was not about flying to Paris but opening the world to air travel much like Columbus setting sail. The space program has never been about TODAY. It is about TOMORROW and those using cell phones, GPS, finding out what the weather will be tomorrow have no clue as to how the conveniences of TODAY came from people thinking of TOMORROW.
But that should be no surprise. Even when Columbus set sail, he had his detractors saying it was a waste of money, that the money could be used for other purposes. Small people living in a small world.

Yes it is worth spending the money. Look at all the technology the space program has brought about over the past thirty years, with more to come. What makes you think we may not need to leave earth some day. Without the space program, that may never happen. We must demand more for the money, like putting a laser gun on the spacestation to zap the space junk from soace. Or like building a lighter, stronger, reusable space shuttle, instead of the “flying brick” shuttle we have now. We need to spend for space, not war.

No, America’s space program is not worth the money especially in this day and age. How about we spend the money on saving the earth and the people on it? How about we spend the money cleaning up space that we’ve trashed just as we’ve trashed the earth? How about spending money on housing the homeless, educating the uneducated, providing healthcare????? There is so much more to do with that money and recognizing, feeling the results.

WE NEED THESE PROGRAM ALSO THE ONE FOR THE HUDSON RIVER LIKE IN LONDON THEY HAVE A SPEACIL WALLS IF THE RIVER WOULD OVER FILL IT WILL SAVE THE WALL ST AND THE SUDWAY DOWNTOWN WHERE I LIVE BY THE SOUTHST SEASPORT. PLEASE LETS SAVE OUR CITY MR.PRESDIENT MR.R.O. LOVE YOU P.S. PLEASE LOOK AT THE HISTORY CHANNEL AND ALL THE SCIENCEST SAY THAT WE HAVE TO ART NOW LOVE YOU GUYS SORRY FOR THE MISSPELLING DUE TO SOME KEY AT MY LAPTOP DO NOT WORK WELL.

Many of the commenters above me are pitting NASA vs. the many people that are unemployed, facing foreclosure, etc. What they don’t understand is how many more of those people there would be if NASA funding was cut or decreased. Living in Brevard County, Florida, I can see first-hand how important NASA is here. Not only to the thousands that work at NASA, but also the people that work in the restaurants here, people like my husband who cut lawns and do home repairs for people who work at NASA, people who work at the hotels that house the people who come to see the launches, etc. Any further reductions in spending at NASA would be absolutely catastrophic to this area, which has already been very hard-hit in this economy.

Yes, I truly believe it is worthwhile. I feel it is just as viable as any other program. It provides NUMEROUS jobs for our nation and keeps us on the forefront of science and new discoveries. When we are already behind in certain areas such as mathematics and science, compared to other countries, maintaining this program is vital. Not to say, we should feel it is a flat out competition, but it is somewhat the way of the world. Discovery helps us move forward and possibly even identify new areas in which jobs are needed. Well worth the costs.

Of course we should continue. Several reasons. Some day our very survival will depend on it, and it may depend on it even sooner if something like a large meteor heads to earth. We need a stake out there if we have any hope of surviving in the long term. Also, so much technology in our daily lives came from the space program, it’s important work. Lastly, the USA stays save by being ahead of everyone else. Many countries, including China, are trying to head out there, to the moon, to mars. We need to at least be at the same level if not far ahead or we will feel the consequences here at home.

Yes, BUT NOT AT TODAYS EXPENSE. We’ve spent too many years with chemical fuel making up 95% of the launch weight. Advanced, faster propulsion discussion has disappeared. AND NOW, it’s the era of not enough global resources & increasing global warming. EVERY PROBLEM WE HAVE is now influenced by uncontrolled population numbers. Will Humanity ever work together for a long term vision – not only for space exploration – but in hard decisions to save our species ?

Our country and our world is in peril. We need to cut the space program to the bone and concentrate on restoring ourselves and one another. We can always revive the space program later. As of now I do not see that it will save our planet or prevent us from starvation or loss of self of esteen. Presently we stand to lose our hope for the way we were.

After watching 20 / 20 ‘s story on Appalachia I think maybe we could spend the money a little better helping feed some hungry kids.

The space program is a prescription for renewed U.S. technological advancement and economic development. Look at what it has already done for electronics, communications, medical technology, earth sensing (weather and agriculture), etc. It provides an inspiration for science students in our schools. Companies build satellites, rockets, and employ Americans while the technological development has a beneficial spillover to our general economy. Yes, it is worth it. It even gave us Tang.

THE REASON WHY WE ARE STRAVING IS BECAUSE OF OVERPOPULATION. Medical technology has gotten so good that mother nature cannot hold our species in check. What is better then landing on the moon to restore our faith in our country.
ps i have hope that NASA will suriveve and I will see man on mars and condos on the moon.

NO! Spend NASA $ and use our scientists to save our planet rather than trying to find some carbon based bit in the universe!
It would be a shame if some distant life form were to visit earth in a few million years and find evidence of an extinct Civilization and take a few bones back to their museums for all to see.

How can this be the only planet in the galaxy to support life.
How big is the galaxy
How many systems are there
How BIG is the Universe
How many “tails” of a galaxy are there.
Even if there are 20,000 systems unihabited but could support life there will be another race out there.

No! We all have to cut back why can’t NASA. I’m sorry but some people are losing there jobs,home,car and thanks to Mr.Madoff some people’s life saving the last thing these people would like to hear is “Nasa today sent a billion dollar rocket up to land on Mars,Pluto,Whatever to see if there maybe life.”
I think NASA should be put on hold until things get better.

Climate Change or global warming? pick your poison go on, I dare you!!!!!!!!
with NASA we can prevent this dead civilization from occurring. By moving some people away from the main battle that will come humanity will be saved but may have to restart.
ps OVERPOPULATION….LOOK AT THE STATS WAR AND DISEASES HAVE KEPT US IN LINE UNTIL WE GOT TO SMART!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes of course we should continue. As a matter of fact, we need to spend more. Before any of you answer the question, go find out how little we spend on it now.
We have starved this program for years and, as a country we need to invest in technology and exploration. It’s less than one penny of every tax dollar and the returns on that investment are huge.
The people who are against fudning NASA confuse me with some of their logic.
Where do they think the tax dollars are spent? The money doesn’t go to space. The money stays right here in our economy and provides thousands of jobs. The multiplier affect of those dollars enrich the communities and schools located where NASA centers and their suppliers are located.
We need to continue to invest in our future and not depend on other nations like Russia for access to space.
It is unthinkable to give up or lose our access to space while Iran, China, India and Russia continue to advance their space programs.

By keeping money in NASA we create jobs for thousands kill NASA kill jobs bigger frekin rescission. If we can get the tech we can give them a better life, and a new start sorta like Australia only in space.

I believe that our space program needs to be more focused. Instesd of sending satelites to look for earthlike planets and bombarding asteroids that money could be better spent on new equipment such as a new updated version of the shuttle. Or the space station, where we can learn from the myraid experiments being done. Or even better yet, so we don’t have to worry about space junk wrecking everything, let’s focus on building a station on the moon and get all the other nations involved to help. Thereby sharing the cost and working together for the betterment of all mankind…

man john why do these people choose to be so simple-minded as to say that space would really do anything when in the hands of such “materialistic” people…yes i mean certain people in the government and well do i rly have to say it banks

the sun will blow up but the galaxy will just become intertwined with another.
Private co. are all about money. we would not live up to the plaque on the moon that “we came for the betterment of man kind” it would say instead ‘i came here because i got paid a few billion’.
How do you doubt that we landed on the moon

No, it is not worth it. People are losing their jobs and homes. This is not the time to be planning a return mission to the moon. It is a time for us to focus on the issues facing our nation such as reforming health care.

Read the posts from all the people who are in favor of this ridiculous waste of money as well as there reasons to keep it going. Ball bearings made in space ( and he’s serious), meteor striking earth ( like we can stop that)and on and on. These are nothing more than science geeks playing with there rockets at our expense. 2009 and they still can’t stop a fuel leak problem. How many more of their astronats will die. This is a complete waste of money for a select few to make lot’s of money.

Thank you for finally addressing this question. The program was stellar when it began. It is now poorly and wastefully run. I believe it is irrelevant as it presently exists. Each time another failure occurs, the millions of dollars wasted is flippantly announced. I pray that President Obama will re-evaluate this pathetic program. For too long the executive and legislative branches have looked the other way as the standards have become sloppier and sloppier. Leadership is lacking and misdirected. PLEASE PRESIDENT OBAMA CUT OFF THE $$$$$$$$$$$$. They are desperately needed elsewhere. Take a stand where others have failed because of ignorance or weakness..

No it is not worth it! How “green” is this program? Imagine the global warming from this alone! How much fuel does this waste? Who cares if they have an extra bedroom up there at our expense! And there is hunger, housing, health care and poor quality of life right here in the USA!

Yes, investing in NASA is absolutely worth the money. We’ve received countless advances to society because of NASA, but even more than that it’s an investment in education. We are learning through space exploration. Why do so many people think learning should end when we leave school? I teach English composition at the college level and have had several students look into this topic. Every student who tackled this issue, including students who were initially against spending money on space exploration, came out for space exploration in the end because of what they learned during their research into the issue.
Given how much money was allocated recently for earmarks, this shouldn’t even be an issue. If people are really concerned about wasteful spending, earmarks should be the topic and not NASA. As long as the government is willing to spend money on swine odor research, it should be willing to spend money on NASA. (By the way, I grew up on a hog farm in Iowa, and I find spending money on swine odor research absurd and Grassley’s comments ridiculous! In fact, I’d bet the majority of hog farmers find it absurd.) I say no to pork barrel projects and YES to NASA!

The focus of the space program should be defense satellites, weather satellites, communication satellites, etc. We know we can send humans into space and even to the moon. What’s the point? The scientific focus of the U.S.
should be developing alternative sources of energy, new methods of transportation which are environmentally friendly, and cleaning up the mess we have made of our planet. Let’s not forget finding cures for catastrophic dieseases. What if John F. Kennedy had challenged the nation to find cure for cancer the the end of the decade? How would history be different?

Yes, The space program is critical to the U.S. If we stop inventing our society will stagnate & die. Our contry does not build products like in the past, but we can still develop the ideas.

The space program is one of the few things that we do that provide inspiration and hope to the American people. The benefits far outweigh the costs. We should not cut back but increase the funding for exploration.

absolutely, we have no idea what discovery’s will come from our mere presence in space, let alone active research

Absolutly..
These projects do 4 things, badly needed.
Provide employment for the technology sector.
Give our nation credability.
Developments for future consumer products.
Motivate our youth to stay in school.

If the space program isn’t funded, hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose their jobs. It will also cause them to purchase less supplies from their vendors, including contract labor companies, leading to layoffs within those companies. It’s the same problem as with the automotive industry. It’s not just one industry that is affected. Also these companies will find other places to sell their products to. If the US government isn’t buying, perhaps the Chinese government or the Russian government will. Once the US breaks their contracts with these companies, who is to hold them accountable for maintaining the privildeged information they hold?

Definately not. While the country is in a financial crisis and people are living on the streets the money is better spent elswhere.

No. I worked there in the 60s on the Apollo program. It was exciting and challenging, but our country wasn’t in financial crisis. I have family members working there now and it’s become a “double dipping” safety net for retired military personnel – aren’t their pension, health and commisary benefits enough? Tax payers can only do so much – let NASA take a rest!

For those of us who have decided to live on Earth, I guess we’re supposed to believe we don’t deserve to have health coverage, medications we need, keep our homes and jobs, education for our children and grandchildre, and the list goes on and on and on!!! Space exploration has been my greatest peeve for many, many years. Why are we wasting trillions of dollars to see if Mars has water and all the other stup[id things we are attempting to find out, when , in fact, we cannot even take care of Earth and it’s inhabitants, especially in the United States-land of the free!?? Yah, right!!

Emphatically YES. The dividends of the space program are too numerous to enumerate.
Mankind has always been curious about its world and the stars. We are unlocking the secrets of the universe and the earth through the earth sciences and space exploration. Do we want to abandon things like communication and weather satellites?

No, we should let others do the work. We will all benefit in the end.

Some will say I am biased because my livelyhood depends on the space program. I am one of the hundreds of thousands of people that directly or indirectly collect a paycheck from the space program. Many people believe that all that space hardware just appears, gets shot into space and doesn’t really benefit them. They are wrong on all counts. There are hundreds of thousands of dedicated people in the space program. At Kennedy Space Center, one of the news programs stated, for every spaceworker there are more than two jobs created in the outside economy. During a recession the last thing we want to do is cut more high paying jobs. Some believe that there are no benefits from space exploration. Most of our current technology has been impacted by the research accomplished to place humans and machines into the harsh environment of space. If we don’t continue to lead in space initiatives, we will quickly fall behind in almost all forms of technology and quickly become a second rate nation. China, Russia, Japan, and Europe will quickly overtake us and leave us demanding to buy their technology… oh, we already are. Four or five years will pass without a U.S. manned vehicle docking at the ISS. We are again short changing the generations to come by down playing the joys of accomplishment and the desire to explore the unknown. As anyone can tell I am passionate about our space program and our countries future. I pray Congress and our President are this passionate!

It’s pretty stupid to think that all inventions, from the space program, would never have been made without it. Anything outside of our Solar System really does not need severely close scrutiny. NASA has become the most expensive ‘Screen Saver’ of all time, and existence. Does knowing where the edge of the universe; really matter? Who cares?! It’s a very expensive “I saw it first, I get to Name It”, JOKE! Yes the space sciences have a place. The space station is good. Do you need to spend so much money, just to prove if Einstein is correct. Who cares! You all need to re think your basic priorities. Will looking at blind space, hoping someone is transmitting our direction, an actual priority. Visualize what we would do if there was a reply. The Government would hide it for at least 40+ years. Any technological breakthrough would be relying on a “Civilian Money Magnet Orchestra” to have the correct answers. Any benefits would not get to any private sector, for decades. Is this game really necessary? It’s a bottomless pile of toys, we are funding, for NASA to play with. Finally seeing a picture of the furthest part of our galaxy, for $173 Billion. There is no question, about that location, that has to be answered for any purpose. Just to claim YOU did it, on societies budget. Any NASA folk, just come to my town. Well show you how important we think YOU really are!

Yes. The space program is a vital investment in our present-day technology and a vital link to our future.

The space program is a program full of innovation and imagination. It gives our children a sense of purpose for those talented with engineering, mathematical, artistic and management hopes and ambitions. Are we to be a civilization limited in our thoughts and dreams? If we spread the money evenly to all citizens, what would drive us to find better a better life? Where would the basic research be that’s so necessary to find the cures for our diseases and maladies? Would we be satisfied to live in a third world country where there is no money for anything except existing. Obviously I think the space program and programs like it are a national priority.

No. I’m amazed at how many people think that it is worth it – even though I’m sure most of those people don’t know what the cost is.

Yes, keep funding NASA. Just don’t spend any money on absurd new programs. Just spend the money to keep the people working for NASA..still working for NASA… We do not need more unemployed people hurting this economy.

NASA has the smallest budget of any major federal agency – shifting the money to another program wouldn’t make a difference. Especially when you consider all of the benefits that we have derived, and continue to derive, from the space program. Many of the advances would never have come about if PEOPLE weren’t going to have been on the missions since the need for safety wouldn’t have been as important.
People who say we should stop spending money in space are the same fools who said “the Earth is flat so why bother trying to get to Asia by going West”.

There is no doubt the US Space Program is worth the 18 billion dollar budget. The return in new technology and scientific testing pays for the program. The space program’s budget pales in comparison to government’s public school budget; the PreK-6 Grade budget is 18 billion alone and the government this year is spending 95 billion in student loans. During the Clinton years NASA’s budget was cut back to fewer than 15 billion dollars while ever other entitlement program had increased spending. I am just tired of this argument on whether or not the space program is worth the investment. I can remember when NASA was putting Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon; the same lame question was being asked. Give it a rest already.

The taxpayers have gotten back more than $2000 for every $1 spent on the space and missile defense contracts. The early semiconductors were designed for the Minuteman Missile. Medical, communication, and satellites were designed by the Apollo program and Skylab. The RAM, ROM, and PROM memories and microcomputer were developed for the Peacekeeper program which Intel and others claimed since they belonged to the taxpayer. The Shuttle added many medical, communication, and spacial technology advances which again belong to the taxpayer and can be used by other companies. The laptop computer was developed by a top secret all service program in 1990 as well as advances in the internet. You can’t find a place that pays back more. I ran for Congress in 1974 just to talk about what defense and space had given back to the taxpayer here on Earth.

Yes. NASA is essential to Americans. NASA has consistently justified itself in many ways; science, education, spinoffs and defense, just to name a few. Unfortunately, most Americans just aren’t aware of the benefits we all get, daily, from our Space Program (manned and un-manned). The scary news is that, while Americans are winding down, many other countries (including China, Japan, and Europe) are advancing ahead in their space programs. Obviously, there must be a good reason. We cannot afford to lose ground.

Okay, well, first we raped the land on Earth and now we’re raping the land in the rest of the universe and leaving it for other people or other worlds. How bout we focus on cleaning up the space junk out there before we completely block out the sun and don’t just have to worry about astronauts escaping to some safety pod while out there creating more space junk. Just as most of us never thought we’d hear the phrase “ozone-alert day” and know what it meant, how does “space-junk-alert day” sound as more of this stuff tries to return home! Remember to grab your hard hat before leaving home. How bout renewable junk? Al Gore where are you when we need you?

No.

NASA investment, 15 cents daily from each taxpayer, has and continues to produce great payback in everything from GPS & cell phones to Cat scans.
What other agency has given any real payback?
NASA spending is less than half of one per cent of a normal Federal budget.

Space exploration is vital, but NASA is more than space. Just about every aircraft that is flying today or has ever flown has benefitted from NASA resarch and that of its predecessor agency. Climate science has also advanced because of NASA efforts. Investments in research and development pay off, often in unexpected ways.

The sad truth is that, financially speaking, for the amount of money we’ve p****d away in Iraq and Afghanistan, we could have sent several manned missions to Mars. Which, when you quantify the two endeavors, would have been a far better use of funds – not to mention manpower.
If we have a future, it is beyond the envelope of air that encompasses this water logged rock. On the other hand, we could just do what some would have us do and sit here and wait for the next bullet with our name on it to show up – i.e., super volcano(s), asteroid(s), that sort of thing. In either case, I expect to be long dead before mankind ever gets his head out of his collective a**.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Lets make that “withdraw” from world leadership.

Everytime anyone uses Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, MapQuest, their GPS gadget-thingamajigies, know that you’re using technology originating from NASA. Think about all the advancement in any sort of technology that we have in this day and age and know that it has NASA’s footprints and handprints all over it. ‘Nuff said.

NASA’s work has enriched our lives in many seen and unseen ways. The inspriation, the technology, and the hope for more. NASA is the standard of free intellect within our government. The Agency strives to lead young minds to desire great learning. This is one of our most important quests in seeking continual improvement and enrichment for a better tomorrow.

Calling NASA spending wasteful indicates a lack of understanding of what the other 99.6% of the federal budget gets spent on every year. The $17B of taxpayer money spent on NASA probably returns more value to the American public (and our future as a species) than nearly any other government spending. Human spaceflight is less than half of NASA’s budget, and NASA’s entire budget is dwarfed by other government spending programs. Would you rather have a slight increase in the money for food stamps, or use it to monitor climate change, or understand the universe we live in?

If you examine the big picture of the US budget, the space program doesn’t even receive a PENNY of every American tax dollar. If you talk on a cell phone, if you fly on a commercial aircraft, if you use a computer – you are using technology that the space program helped developed.
The space program is worth every penny and then some!!

NASA’s budget last year of $17 billion will cost each and every citizen a whopping $56.77 last year. Advances that are a direct result of NASA include materials science, optics, computing, communications, agriculture, meteorology, and other fields too numerous to mention and specific inventions too numerous to mention.
For those who think we should be putting money into feeding starving nations, satellite advances are responsible for dramatically improved agricultural yields, so funding NASA does that.
For those who think we should be putting money into advancing medicine, advances in computing, imaging, exotic materials, and so forth are a direct result of NASA research and help doctors diagnose illness, so funding NASA does that too.
And, for the final Nationalist argument, someday we’ll be able to build colonies in space. Who do you want to build those colonies?

When you keep that NASA spending is less than half of one percent of the federal budget– about 1/10 of what it was during the Apollo program– you see that it’s not only cheap, it’s an amazing bargain.

The nay sayers would prefer to put the money into welfare so people wouldn’t have to work or think for themselves. I happen to believe that even in these economic times, the space program is putting and keeping tens of thousands of AMERICANS working. What better way to support the economy and stimulate the younger generation.
Several years ago a study was made that showed if NASA could keep and develop all its patents rather than make them public domain for all industry use, it would show a 120% profit. THe US will become less than a third word nation if we give up on new technology – be it space or medical research.

I believe it is worth every dime! I also believe that those who don’t are likely unaware of all the benefits of space exploration.
In a recent poll that was commissioned by The Coalition for Space Exploration they discovered that “after being introduced to information on the benefits of space exploration Americans support of NASA and the space program jumped from 88% to 96%.”

I think in these trying times of moving our country to a new level it would be wonderful if all those brilliant hard working people would work on energy independence, cures for cancer and diseases and making our world greenier.
That would make more sense.

My 2 cents: a failed mission is not a waste of money as that went into the economy as salaries, services, etc. What is lost is the scientific return on investment.

Of course NASA is worth the paltry sum of money that we spend on it! NASA cost you ~$50.00 a year, compare this to what Americans gladly spend on Halloween ($52.00 per household, $82.00 if you have children under 18) which is only one day out of a year. Come on get real peole!

Is NASA worth the money, what money. The NASA budget is 17.6 billion to be exact which is pennys on the national scale. Its not even 1% of the Federal Budget its 0.59%. We spend more money paying off interest on the deficit. So yes being the leaders in space not to mention space technology and the 100s of thousands jobs that creates is definitely worth the pennyswe pay for it.

This question: Yes. Man cannot remain in the cradle of Earth forever.
Tomorrow’s question: Why, considering the abundance of opinions on this matter, don’t we see more coverage of US and other space programs in the media? Please ABC, educate us!

If saving the US auto industry is worth $30 to $60 billion dollars, which has done nothing to promote future technology and is based on stagnation and people who get paid nearly full salaries even after they’ve been fired because they never bothered to develop skills to do anything other than the same thing they’ve been doing for the last 20 years.
Spending $18 billion on advanced research into medicine, solar technology, materials development, aerodynamics and propulsion research, chemical and biological engineering, all done by highly skilled technicians who are constantly branching out to increase their own skills, and actually building hardware on american soil using american hardware seems like a pretty worthwhile investment.

NASA’s budget is approximately 1% of the National Budget – that’s only half as much as this budget’s earmarks! I don’t understand how people can complain about spending so little money on the most widely recognized institution we have that inspires our young people to learn math or science…why spend billions educating your children, if you intend to dismantle one of the prime organizations that employs them once educated?

I’d rather spend $19 billion for NASA than throw another $62 billion into the AIG bailout black hole.

Now is exactly the time for space exploration. The reason we are experiencing such economic woes is that we are using up the resources on this planet faster than we can replace them. Our destiny is to the stars, where we can expand the human race. We need to start to think of resources as for the human race, rather than for profit.

“worth the money”?
Just count up all the people working to support the space program, then figure out how much they put back into the economy, seems like well spent money to me…

Do you think that other countries won’t start hiring out of work aerospace engineers from the US to work on their space programs? We attract the best scientific talent because we have the best one going. This is a vital intellectual resource, that absolutely needs to be funded.
The funding question is the wrong question people. The question is “where the hell has the leadership for space exploration gone?”

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In fact it should be increased. We’re giving BILLIONS of $ in bail-out money to many organizations that do not deserve it (e.g. AIG, Citigroup, GM, Chrysler, and many, many others).
The Space Program has benefited us in many, many ways. Much too many to go into detail in this short post.
Anyone opposing it is either ignorant or is easily persuaded by the Nay-sayers. Read and learn! There are many places where you can educate yourself about the many contributions of the space program in general, and NASA in particular.
Finally, if we cut back the program or close it altogether, others (e.g. China, Russia, India, etc.) will pick up the slack, and then we’ll be forced to have to spend more than before to catch up.

NATALIE(above)is nuts.she obviously does not have a clue to the fact that most of the technology that she is using right now CAME from NASA.that said the obvious answer is yes

“Waste of money?” Let’s put it into perspective. The government expenditures going to bailouts recently is about $30 billion to Bear Stearns, $200 billion to Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, $150 billion to AIG, $247.5 billion to Citigroup, $17.4 billion to Chrysler/GM, $25 billion to the auto industry, and we’re about to give $700 billion to troubled assets. And none of this money will help things “such as disease, starvation and drought.”
None of this money will advance mankind, make new discoveries or lead to world changing technoligies. None of it will inspire children to study engineering, math and science. None of it will employ are nations best and brightest. NASA’s $19b budget, about 1/2 of 1% of the federal budget, is truly peanuts.
The Department of Labor has a bigger budget, as do many, many other agencies. Does HUD help feed the poor? NASA is high profile. That’s the only reason ABC News is asking this question.

Yes it is worth the money. And more.
It’s like asking is columbus’ voyage was worth the money that the queen of Spain spent on it.

Amazing! Based on some of these posts, you’d think that when NASA spends $1B on a planetary probe that it literally sends a billion $1 bills into space.
Where do you folks think that money goes? It goes to pay the people to manufacture the space craft. It goes to pay the people to checkout the spacecraft. It goes to pay the people to operate the spacecraft. It goes to prepare the launch facilities.
When you hear someone say something like “we need to stop spending money on NASA because unemployment is too high.” Rest assured, you’re talking to an idiot.

I’m astounded at the basic misconceptions over this:
1. “Use the money on more important things” – This is an order-of-magnitude problem – compare $20 billion to the $800 billion stimulus plan. Even that probably won’t make too much of a dent in the problem. So how exactly is $20 billion going to solve our “immediate problems” here on Earth??
2. “We shouldn’t be just throwing this money into space” – hmm. Where do you think the money is spent? It’s not actually loaded into a rocket and shot out into space. When we say there’s a $4 billion spacecraft going to Saturn, it doesn’t mean we’ve loaded $4b in $20 bills into a tin can and shot it off to Saturn. It’s spent right here on Earth
Now even discounting the enormous technological, scientific, and inspirational aspects of NASA, the $20 billion employs an enormous number of people and pays for a large number of students. Cut NASA and you’re putting a lot of people out of work. Kinda the opposite of what you need in a recession, right? Besides, whey would we ever need things like satellite for (besides weather forecasts, satellite TV, GPS navigation, long range communications)? Why do we need science, when it comes to that? Geez, one needs to understand the technological basis of the US economy…

Every dollar spent for space missions is spent right here on Earth. NASA’s budget is 0.5 percent of the Federal budget, about 15 cents per taxpayer per day. A bargin.

The government can’t solve every individual’s problems because they’ve lost their job or their home. These people certainly need some assistance, and they are getting that. The government spends $1,500 billion every year on social programs (not including the additional expenditures in the stimulus bills that will be passed), another $18 billion is less than 1%. It wouldn’t even pay a month’s interest on the money we borrow to fund our existing social programs. Those who oppose the space program are uninformed and ignorant of the facts. Do some unbiased research before you form an opinion.

We can not be left behind in space after holding such a substantial lead for decades. We (as a country) must continue to push new frontiers and when we have paved the way we should pass it on to private companies who will continue the work and create new jobs and industries. Companies like Scaled Composites, Virgin Galactic, Bigelow Aerospace, and SpaceX are beginning to “settle” on that frontier that NASA first reached in the 1960s. Earth orbit’s future is now in the hands of these pioneers.
Now NASA must push beyond Earth orbit and continue our expansion into space. We need to go to the moon and beyond. India and China both have solid plans to send men to the moon by 2020 and the Europeans and Russians have their own goals in regards to the moon as well. In the 1960s and 70s we sent men to the moon and it seemed that there was nothing that could hold back American ingenuity and innovation. The world looked at us in awe. We must not lose this global leadership.
Sending people to the moon would help revitalize our economy because it will create many new jobs to help support this undertaking. We will need all types of people to help build, design, and manage a manned space exploration program to the moon. In addition to that, the space infrastructure that would be created to set up permanent moon bases should also help in the reduction of costs to reach Earth orbit. Lowered costs for reaching Earth orbit can lead to cost savings in the communications industry (which in turn lead to lower costs for all of us). In addition to that, low costs can also lead to the creation of 100% green power sources like Space Solar Power Satellites. All that leads to even more economic revitalization.
Also, if you look at it from a longer term perspective, when moon bases become more common (as travel to Earth orbit is becoming today) private corporations will start to pick up where NASA has left off. Why should private corporations go to the moon? Well the moon seems to have huge amounts of Helium-3 under its surface, and on Earth this isotope is very rare. It is hoped that one day (we aren’t there yet) this will be used as a fusion power source. How useful can He-3 be for life here on Earth? 25 tons of it (which could be carried back on just one space round trip) can power the entire U.S. for one year. With this amount we could replace all fuels that we pay for essentially making the helium 3 worth about $3 billion per ton. In my opinion He-3 is the reason why so many other countries are in such a rush to get to the moon.
In terms of inspiration I can’t think of anything more inspiring than continually trying to do the impossible. As JFK once said:
“But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. ”
In this country we constantly complain about the state of our education and our lack of a new generation of scientists and engineers, but why should our students strive to achieve these careers? Yes, we have many challenges in medicine and energy, and I agree that these are very important and they can be inspiring to many, but exploration and new discoveries are what (in my opinion) have pushed the boundaries of human imagination. You don’t see many movies or read many books about the exciting adventures of engineers developing new energy sources, do you? In ancient times people looked at far away mountains and oceans and wondered what was beyond. They wondered and then they worked to find out and in the process pushed mankind forward. If you wanted to know what their goal was they just needed to point to that nearest mountaintop or to the ocean. Today, we can look to the sky and point to the moon.

Consider NASA spends 1/25th of what is spent on national defense. Consider NASA is funded with 7/10th of 1% of the National budget. Consider every dollar NASA spends generates seven times that in technology benefits. What other federal program exists that could possibly come close to benefiting the American people?

Here we go again. Whenever a risk in space materializes, the media jumps into a nay saying mode with a rhetorical question that’s been debated off and on for years.
Is Space worth the risk? You betcha. The technological gain our country has gained is priceless along with the knowledge.
There is risk in manned spaceflight and those involved and willing to become involved should be supported 100%. From these efforts comes a priceless knowledge we can’t afford to lose.
Those who say “nay” are actually showing their ignorance by listening to a media who is ill informed or closed minded to what is actually happening.
The space program needs independently supported so it doesn’t have to undergo such rhetoric every time a risk surfaces.
No one complains when an accident happens whenever a climbing expedition goes to Mount Everest.

Absolutely it is wort it.
The benefits derived from NASA continue to enrich us while the gross waste of socil programs enable drgu addicts, the lazy and increase our nation debt with no real gain.
80% of the people on welfare are lazy or drug addicted. You could save that and only give welfare to the working poor or turn it into workfare to force the reciepients to put some skin in the game and this would save far more money and make it useful.
How come ABC never asks if the 100 or so billion we are spending on welfare each year is worth it or done right?

Remember, NASA gets less than 0.5% of the federal budget every year…

I agree with the folks who say keep the money and spend it where it is needed. For example, I hear that AIG is having trouble getting enough cash to pay out their executive bonuses. Some of NASA’s money could easily cover this worthy endeavor and keep AIG’s best employees from leaving…

Please keep in mind that this is a ridiculous and rhetorical question:
How much money is spent on cruise ships, vacations, amusement parks, and athletic events annually in the U.S. that would be better spent on addressing the social woes of our nation?
None of those endeavors creates new technologies to benefit anyone, scientific knowledge is not advanced, but apparently there’s some submitters here who would rather bring a halt to the exploration of space (which does all of those) and run down to Cabo for Spring Break.
How responsible of you.

umm.. I dont know.

You people should feel ashamed, wanting to take away the Space Program. Cut the budget, spend it elsewhere…come on. We are talking about advancements that people take advantage of everyday that were either developed or discovered by NASA and you want to cut their budget? Set your priorities straight. Politicians line their pockets, overspend, and give money away like candy to foreign countries(all these are our tax dollars), but you want to look at tightening the budget on something worthwhile! I am appalled!

I just did an essay on this for my grade 9 science class. I’m Canadian but I think it still applies.
No. People have this vast image of humans colonizing other planets in to ideological metropolises, but that is not what the end goal of our space program should be. Until Earth is a lost cause, our efforts should be repairing it, not building a new atmosphere and everything else that we have here on Earth for an uninhabitable planet.
However, I think that exploring space technology and other related fields like communications technology is definitely worth it. Many revolutionary breakthroughs have been made because of technology worked on for these space programs. We use satellites everyday for GPS, Internet, phones, map making, digital imaging, data gathering, weather prediction, cars and hundreds of other things. Some other big inventions are dehydrated food, miniaturized computers and robots, scratch-resistant plastic coating, memory foam, antibacterial water filters, infrared thermometers and ionization smoke detectors.
This is not enough of an excuse for spending so much money on the program, though. Research is completely necessary, but that is just more of a reason to cut funding for building giant spaceships and putting people at risk. If we want to advance space travel technology, we should invest in the research. If the money was invested in research in the first place, more things probably would have been discovered and invented than there were in the space program.
The part of the space program attempting to get people on to far away planets is very unnecessary. This kind of project is using more resources than it’s worth and generating lots of pollution from space shuttle launches. Even before considering the high risk and psychological and physical stress on the people involved in the travel, it is clear that these resources would be better used for direct investment in medical and technological research.
Once technology advances and the Earth becomes more populated, it will be necessary to put things like power generation stations and solar panels on the moon. A direct link could also be established (but not attached to the face of the Earth) because the same side of the moon is always facing Earth. For now, though, research should be done so that when the time comes to expand from Earth, there will more technology to accomplish it. Using the space program money for resolving Earth’s issues will delay this issue as well. Inhabiting should be necessary long after this is.
The internal combustion engine was only invented around the 1850s. Trying space travel now, instead of after one or two generations is equivalent to the difference between what we’re doing now, and trying to attempt space travel with a steam engine in the 1800s. The difference will probably be even bigger because technology is advancing exponentially. Imagine how much money would have been wasted if a space program has been started back then.
So instead of wasting resources and putting extremely intelligent astronauts in danger and mentally harmful conditions, use the resources and manpower to advance the technology.