Websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have helped fund and launch thousands of projects created by both talented individuals and small start-ups. In what may be the first time a major government agency has used crowd funding, NASA has raised over $30,000 on Indiegogo to have their space program trailer run in theaters before the movie “Star Trek: Into the Darkness.”

Due to the government sequestration, it may seem reasonable for government agencies to search elsewhere for project funding. NASA not only has to deal with a $900 million sequestration budget cut, but it also has to face an additional $300 million in budget cuts, thanks to a bill passed by the House of Representatives earlier last month. For a nation that has been consistently falling behind in science and engineering for the last decade, budget cuts to one of our country’s leaders in innovation and exploration is the last thing it needs.

People may argue that NASA’s current budget of $18.72 billion is plenty and the government should focus on spending money to fix problems at home, instead of looking into outer space. However, that money makes up a little less than 0.5 percent of the annual federal budget, compared to the 24 percent that goes toward defense spending. Besides the Curiosity Rover, most of the equipment NASA uses to collect data in space, including the Hubble Telescope and the Voyager 1, is over 20 years old.

The people who argue against increased spending for the space program fail to realize that it is NASA that inspired a generation of pioneers in science and innovation in the United States. Back when it was first established, NASA helped the U.S. win the space race and put the first man on the moon in 1969.

NASA helped inspire an entire generation of children to dream about astronauts and space and propel the United States to become the world’s largest producer of patents.  

Now, we are constantly in danger of being toppled from the top spot by countries such as South Korea and China. American children now rank only 25th and 17th internationally in math and science, respectively.

We need to allow NASA once again to help inspire this current generation of kids on the path to science and engineering. When it comes to space exploration, there’s no limit on the discoveries and innovations we can make. 

Recently, NASA developed a proposal to capture an asteroid from space and bring it back to earth. While it sounds like an idea straight out of a science fiction book, there is a technically feasible plan already in place that would only cost (a measly) $2.6 billion.

It is unreasonable to ask for any sudden change in the federal budget, especially given how Congress and the president still cannot decide on any changes, even after the established deadline. 

So in the meantime, it’s fortunate there are still many like-minded American citizens who still believe in the importance of our space exploration program. NASA was able to exceed their $30,000 goal and now is aiming for $94,000 to air the trailer in theaters across the nation. Their next step after that should be to try to get the trailer before children’s movies to remind them that an inspiring space program awaits and that it’s worthy of their ambition. 

Brian is a junior in Engineering. He can be reached at [email protected].