Which sentence provides evidence that NASA research has positive effects on Earth? Increase Funding for NASA
The United States has been the leader in space exploration since 1969. July 21, 1969, was when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the surface of the Moon. Since then, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the space program largely funded by the U. S. government, has continued to play a huge role in space exploration and science research around the world. NASA's space shuttle program spent 30 years carrying astronauts into orbit to conduct cutting-edge research and build the largest structure in space, the International Space Station.

NASA has made many contributions outside of space exploration. Through their research and development, scientists have invented practical items such as cordless tools, memory foam in mattresses, and scratch-resistant glasses. Nevertheless, NASA's budget support from the U. S. government has been declining over its 55-year history. Consequently, in 2011, the Space Shuttle program was grounded. The U. S. has also had to pull out of international space projects. As Americans continue to debate NASA funding, other countries and private companies are funneling more money into their space programs to become leaders in space exploration.

A common misunderstanding among Americans is the amount of money NASA receives from the U. S. government. NASA's budget has accounted for 0.5 percent of the total U. S. federal budget. That amounts to roughly $10 of an annual personal income tax going toward the best space program in the world. NASA accounts for 40 times less than what the federal government spends on the Department of Defense. Unfortunately, programs such as Project Constellation, which promised to return American astronauts to the moon, and ExoMars, which was designed to look for evidence of life on Mars and eventually land humans on Mars, have been put on hold due to budget cuts.

NASA holds one out of every thousand patents in the U. S. NASA also retains the rights to inventions developed as part of the space program. These inventions are items used in our daily lives. Ear thermometers were developed from 30 years of remote measurements of the temperature of stars and planets. Smartphones would not have been possible without NASA launching satellites into Earth's orbit to monitor space and communicate to scientists on the ground. Today, the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge are coated in a protective material that NASA needed to invent to save its launch pads from the destructive effects of hot, humid, and salty air. It is likely that NASA will continue to inspire new industries, revolutionize existing ones, and create new possibilities that will benefit people everywhere. This is possible only if funding begins to increase.

During its history, NASA has continued to look for life beyond our planet. At its height, Apollo 11 landed the first humans on the Moon. The space agency successfully conducted five lunar trips following the Apollo 11 mission. In 1984, the U. S. government authorized NASA to join forces with Russia to build a major new space station, the International Space Station (ISS). Humans are able to have an ongoing presence in space due to the ISS. Laboratories on the ISS allow crew members to do research that could not be done anywhere else. Many ground-breaking research projects have been cut due to NASA's declining budget. NASA has pulled out of projects that collaborate with other countries, leaving the other countries to go ahead without the help of NASA. Our country's future in space exploration is uncertain. If Americans want to inspire future generations to enter the fields of science and continue to be the leader in space exploration, we need to begin to increase funding for NASA.