posted 02-02-2003 01:52 PM            

Putting NASA's Budget in Perspective

(Unless otherwise indicated, the dollar figures cited in this webpage were obtained from The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000, World Almanac Books, PRIMEDIA Reference Inc., 1999, ISBN 0-88687-847-0.)

The federal government spent roughly $14 billion (B) on NASA in fiscal year 1999. That's a lot of money! But what does that mean? How much is $14B? For most folks $14B is merely an abstract concept.

This webpage aims to put NASA's budget in perspective by comparing this $14B figure with other governmental and private expenditures in the United States.

For example, in fiscal year (FY) 1999, total federal expenditures were $1,699,217 million (M) -- approximately $1.7 trillion! NASA's budget of $14B, thus, represented only about 0.8% of total federal expenditures during FY '99. In fact, since 1975 NASA's budget has varied only between 0.7% and 1.0% of total federal expenditures. NASA's highest ever share of total federal expenditures was 5.5%, which occurred in 1966. (Click here to see a graph illustrating NASA's share of federal expenditures for the past 40 years.)

Many other interesting comparisons can be made:

* Microsoft's corporate revenues in 1998 were roughly the same as NASA's budget that year.
* NASA's budget is roughly the same size as the budgets of each of the following states: Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee. 
* The federal government spends over 30 times as much money on Social Security as it does on NASA. 
* Americans spent over 19 times as much at restaurants in 1997 as the federal government spent on NASA that year. 
* NASA's budget represents approximately 0.2% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product.

What follows are a set of tables further illustrating how much -- or how little -- the federal government spends on NASA. Note that these comparisons do not necessarily imply a cause-effect relationship between the governmental or private expenditure in question and NASA's budget. These comparisons are meant merely to illustrate the size of NASA's budget.

Table Menu

Table 1 -- NASA's budget compared to other federal government expenditures
Table 2 -- NASA's budget compared to various consumer expenditures
Table 3 -- NASA's budget compared to the budgets of the 50 state governments
Table 4 -- NASA's budget compared to revenues of various large corporations

VIEW TABLES AND CHARTS AT: http://www.richardb.us/nasa.html

posted 02-02-2003 02:02 PM               

I was wondering Jeanie...why do you continue to post here after clearly stating on Thermit's "Self Governing Forums?" thread found here http://www.chemtrailcentral.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000049.html

"If this forum is as good as it gets, then I didn't make a mistake in deciding not to take part anymore."
"I'd be ashamed to recommend CTC to anyone.
I do believe CTC serves no constructive purpose. Jeanie"

posted 02-02-2003 02:23 PM               

>>Such language has not been the case since that time.<<

posted 02-02-2003 02:38 PM            

Pure... Bunk.

posted 02-02-2003 02:41 PM               

It is my belief that the break-up of the Columbia Space Shuttle was a horrible tragic accident and not preplanned or terrorism in any way.

A very sad time for the world. Peace to the family members and loved ones of those brave astronauts.

posted 02-03-2003 11:22 AM            

I thought this was interesting.....

Columbia shuttle flight number.....113

Apollo near disaster flight number........13

posted 02-03-2003 11:54 AM            

I think we should all submit to our government because BU$h "cried" on live television. Dang it he's our leader and now we have to back the war!

VERRRRRRY Convienient.

posted 02-03-2003 12:34 PM            

"Tell us retarded punditoid #1....Will this distract attention away from the Chandra Levy affair?"

posted 02-09-2003 01:16 PM            

Astronauts knew of wing damage

By Irene Brown
From the Science & Technology Desk
Published 2/5/2003 8:10 PM

UPI Science News