So despite the fact that they've been behind the invention of such amazing and groundbreaking technologies as TK - whilst, admittedly, doing silly things like taking home plates from baseball stadiums into space - the startling truth is that NASA is desperately underfunded. Criminally, in fact. They spent a buttoad of money on their space exploration missions, sure, but it's actually somewhat out of necessity that they scrimp and save by reusing old materials and stripping previous shuttles for parts, and why they patent these inventions to bring in a little extra dough. A 1997 survey asked the average American how much of the federal budget was portioned out to NASA, with the majority putting the figure at somewhere around 20%. In fact, the space agency has received one cent or less per every tax dollar since 1975, and currently they receive $.005 cents per dollar. Which is a miniscule figure as it is, and it's dropping further. The highest ever spent on NASA was during the thirteen years the Apollo Moon landings were happening, when they received something like 4% of the budget and spent $22.718 billion. Still, they used that money to land a man on the Moon which, y'know, is pretty impressive. And also not a project where you wanna be counting your pennies and cutting every corner. That seems to be the current position NASA find themselves in, however, since whilst congress recently passed a bill authorising the appropriation of $17.6 billion to them, they're still dealing with budget cuts and a relatively small amount of money. That means they've had to abandon plans to send a rover to Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter that could support life, and any other smaller missions tend to be the first to go. Obama also called for an end to the Moon program towards the end of his first term in office. So NASA, the space-age organisation which does amazing things and seems to be totally slick, shiny and futuristic, is actually doing all that on a pretty threadbare coffer. Which, really, just makes it all the more impressive, doesn't it?
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
