Moreover, while it was often asserted that space superiority would translate into military superiority, Ike believed that the U. And then there was the cost. Under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, NASA's budget skyrocketed—Apollo would be the largest peacetime expenditure in American history—and Congress got increasingly uneasy.
For Democrats wanting to expand spending on social problems and Republicans wanting to shrink the federal budget, these were disturbing numbers. They disturbed the American people, too. Throughout the s polls showed that a majority of Americans did not believe the Apollo program was worth the cost.
But after Americans made it to the moon, most of the earlier skepticism was forgotten, and as Apollo receded into history people had an increasingly favorable view of it. According to one poll, in , 77 percent of Americans thought the moon landing was worth the cost, in contrast to , when only 47 percent felt that way. Perhaps it is the idea of space that unifies us, particularly when burnished by the glow of nostalgia. Or perhaps it is simply that nothing succeeds like success: after the lunar landing, Americans decided that it had been worth the price after all.
NASA now plans to go again to the moon, with a goal of landing astronauts—among them at least one woman—near the lunar south pole in , and once again the American people, including many scientists, are skeptical of the value. A Pew Research poll found that 80 percent think the space station has been a good investment, 72 percent think it is essential for the U.
Studying the cosmos gives us an important perspective shift. When we learn about what lies beyond Earth, it gives us context for understanding our own planet. Studying the other worlds of our solar system and beyond makes it clear that Earth is a precious oasis for life. When we sent spacecraft to Venus we saw how a runaway greenhouse effect turned the world from a habitable planet to an absolute hellscape.
All the social and environmental progress in the world won't help us if an asteroid impacts the Earth. We have to explore space to find and study the asteroids and comets in our cosmic neighborhood if we want to make sure we can defend our planet if an object ever heads our way.
The program also aims to put human beings on the surface of Mars by the s. Private companies like Virgin Galactic and SpaceX have plans to take tourists on suborbital space flights in the future. Still, half of Americans expect space travel to become routine by This sentiment is shared equally across generations and among Republicans and Democrats.
NASA estimates that more than 23, pieces of space debris 10 centimeters or larger are orbiting the Earth, and these objects could damage important spacecraft like the International Space Station. The U. Department of Defense has long had satellites orbiting Earth, and the notion of a larger American military presence in space has been around since the s. Say "Alexa, enable the Pew Research Center flash briefing". It organizes the public into nine distinct groups, based on an analysis of their attitudes and values.
Even in a polarized era, the survey reveals deep divisions in both partisan coalitions. Pew Research Center now uses as the last birth year for Millennials in our work. President Michael Dimock explains why.
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