Free Government Grants for Astronauts: Does the government award them too much money?

America has been known for their knowledge of outer space. We were the first ones to go to the moon. We have made countless discoveries and all of our equipment is state of the heart and much more advanced than any other country. But, all of this equipment is expensive: Space suits, space ships, satellites, special food, monitoring systems etc. Not to mention all of the money that would be spent on testing and research before we even get into space. Who funds all of this research, all of the missions etc? It is our government. Most space related companies are fully funded by the government and if not, they are given a large amount of government grant money to fund the organization.
However, is all of this justified? are all of our tax dollars being spent toward the right things? Would it be better to give the government grants to different organizations besides NASA. Obviously, our economy is in turmoil and could use a little more attention right now. Should government grants that are being awarded to space studies be awarded to things that would boost our economy more?
Although I can see both points, it is my opinion that the government grant money being spent on NASA and space studies is well spent. It’s not just the fact that it helps our government and gives us a competitive advantage, and a good reputation for having advanced technology. It seems to be what America is all about– the ability to dream of the intangible and go to places we would normally never dream about. It teaches our children that anything is possible and encourages them to dream and think outside of the box.
In fact NASA actively tries to involve children in their organization and uses government grant money to give back to children and the youth of our Nation. According to their website, NASA gives out something known as the “Space Grant” or the “National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program” created in 1989. This grant is dedicated to students, and universities that are interested in understanding more about NASA and furthering scientific knowledge to grow the company and it’s findings. The National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program includes over 850 universities, colleges, industries, museums, science centers, and state and local agencies.
So, in conclusion, I truly believe that our government is doing the best thing for America as a whole by awarding government grant money to NASA and other Space Organizations. There are a lot of things about America that make it such a great country to live in but one of the best things in my opinion is that we never lose our desire to dream and break boundaries and expand our horizons. As long as we have a strong space organizations, we will never lose this power. If you are interested in exploring space science, or maybe even becoming an astronaut you should definitely do a little bit of research on line and qualify for one of the hundreds of government grants out there.