If you are a United States Citizen, I’d like you to sign this petition: http://wh.gov/RPO – At least double NASA’s annual budget to one penny for every government dollar spent.

If you’d like to know why I think this petition is a good idea, continue reading …

Cost of the Universe

How much would you pay for the Universe? The whole thing? Every galaxy, every star, every planet, every moon – everything!

Would you pay one penny for every one of your tax dollars? Would you pay one penny per dollar to an agency that could give you a view of the Universe unlike one you could ever imagine and empower a nation, and an entire planet?

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (you and I know it as NASA) is that agency. Every penny that NASA spends creates jobs right here on Earth, in your country, state, and your community.

NASA’s Budget

How much do you think NASA gets as a percentage of the Federal budget? 10% (10 pennies)? 5% (5 pennies per dollar)? 2% (2 pennies per dollar)?

NASA’s current portion of the US Federal budget amounts to a little less than one half (1/2 or 0.5) a penny for every tax dollar that the American tax payer provides to the United States government. That’s not a lot is it?

Let’s take the median household income for the US as of 2004 – about $45,000 (USD). If your entire household (everyone who makes money in the house) made $45,000 USD per year *combined*, that 0.5% would amount to less than 65 cents ($0.65 or 65¢) per day – and that’s if you paid your entire salary in taxes:


45000*0.005
----------- = 0.62
365


Most people probably lose that much change in their car everyday.

As Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson states in the video at the Penny4NASA website: “do you realize that the $850 billion (USD) bank bailout … that sum of money is greater than the entire 50+ year running budget of NASA?” “NASA, as best as I can judge, is a force of nature like none other.” “The most powerful agency on the dreams of a Nation is currently underfunded to do what it needs to be doing and that’s making dreams come true.”

Inspiration!

NASA inspires people as no other agency can. It inspired me to dream big as a child and it also inspired me as an adult to return to college and finish obtaining my bachelor’s degree.

Signing this petition might not result in immediate change, but at least it will let our government know that there is still passionate interest in human space flight.

Let’s look up and keep dreaming!

References:
http://wh.gov/RPO – At least double NASA’s annual budget to one penny for every government dollar spent.
2004 Median US Household Income
We Stopped Dreaming – Neil deGrasse Tyson
Penny4NASA.net