Most Americans Support NASA, but Differ on Prioritizing Human Space Exploration

According to a new report released by the Pew Research Center, 69% of Americans believe it is essential for the United States to continue leading the world in space. However, when it comes to prioritizing NASA’s efforts, only a subset of this group believes that sending people to the moon should be at the top of the list.

As scholars who study international relations in space and the history of the space program, we are intrigued by how Americans view space activities and how these perspectives may shape future developments in U.S. and global space exploration.

U.S. Dominance in Space

One of the United States’ most prominent initiatives to maintain its leadership in space is the Artemis Program, which aims to land humans on the moon by late 2024. This program emphasizes international cooperation, with partners such as Europe, Japan, and Canada. Meanwhile, China and Russia are pursuing their own efforts to send people to the moon, creating a sense of competition.

A significant finding from the recent poll is its similarity to earlier public opinion surveys, particularly one conducted in 2018. NASA’s popularity has remained consistently high for decades, with a favorability rating between 60% and 70%. However, public opinion has often diverged from the specific priorities of the U.S. space program. Only 12% of Americans in the Pew survey indicated that sending human astronauts to the moon should be NASA’s top priority, despite 65% affirming the importance of NASA’s continued involvement in space exploration.

This misalignment between public opinion and the national space agenda is not new. Even during the Apollo program in the 1960s, Americans ranked addressing Earth’s problems, such as pollution and poverty, above landing humans on the moon. However, over time, the Apollo program gained popularity. In the 1990s, public opinion shifted towards favoring robotic spacecraft over crewed missions.

Despite the divergence between public opinion and the national space agenda, human spaceflight consistently receives the majority share of U.S. civilian space funding. This suggests that a combination of rationales, including advancing science, national stature, geopolitics, economic interests, and national security, have influenced space priorities throughout history.

The Importance of Planetary Defense

The recent poll also explored people’s expectations for NASA’s priorities in the space industry. The findings showed that 60% of respondents believed NASA’s top priority should be monitoring asteroids that could potentially collide with Earth. However, NASA’s Planetary Defense Office currently receives less than 1% of the agency’s budget. Despite its modest funding, the office has made significant progress, including conducting the world’s first planetary defense experiment, the Double Asteroid Redirect Test.

Private Enterprise in Space

Private activity in space has a long history, but experts consider the wave of companies that emerged in the 2000s as a transformative development. These “new space” companies, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, set their own priorities and contribute new capabilities to the market. The recent poll revealed that while many Americans view private activity positively, a significant portion have yet to form an opinion.

Concerns about the Militarization of Space

Regarding the future of space, 44% of Americans foresee a more militaristic outlook, believing that the U.S. will potentially engage in warfare in space within the next 50 years. This could involve the destruction or disabling of strategic satellites. While physical attacks on satellites have not occurred, there have been instances of cyberattacks and GPS signal jamming by nations such as Russia.

Space Debris

Concerns about space debris are also prevalent among Americans. The majority (69%) believe that there will be a major problem with space debris by 2073. The number of objects in space has been rapidly increasing, and future plans for large constellations of satellites could exacerbate this issue. The United States is working on improving its system for monitoring space objects and is collaborating with international partners to establish guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities.

Overall, Americans remain optimistic about the future of space exploration. The poll indicated that 55% of Americans expect routine space travel for tourists within the next 50 years.

Conclusion

Americans continue to Support Nasa and recognize the significance of the United States’ role in space leadership. However, opinions differ when it comes to the specific priorities of the U.S. space program. The public’s perspectives on space activities, including human space exploration, planetary defense, private enterprise, militarization, and space debris, play a crucial role in shaping the future of both U.S. and global space developments.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Citation: Most Americans support NASA but don’t think it should prioritize sending people to space (2023, August 3) retrieved 4 August 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-08-americans-nasa-dont-prioritize-people.html