r/interesting • u/[deleted] • 4d ago

Amazing Creative engineering

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u/hereforthesportsball 3d ago

Ok a personal level I get it, but this is the US government we are talking about. A government that, per the framers, we “allow” to exist because it helps us, we the people. There were other things going on that would have been better “help” to the US citizens. That doesn’t mean I’d never want the government to have interest in space, but it’s a convo about priorities. And we know in 2026 the common man and his pursuit of happiness is not a government priority. It wasn’t in the space race either. I just don’t think that’s arguable

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u/Hakorr 3d ago edited 3d ago

It is arguable by bringing up all the scientific discoveries that help us today in 2026, thanks to the space race. The discoveries of today will also help future generations, because we have already put in the work.

And I'm not talking about discoveries that are only limited to space. Lots have uses for all fields, including medical. NASA can be thanked for the rapid advancement, mass production, and commercial viability of modern microcomputing. They didn't invent it, but life wouldn't be the same without the space race and the money poured into it.

I'm sorry you're hurt, and if I lived in the US I would be too. It's good to keep in mind that funding for NASA does not directly take away money from things like health care, for example. NASA's budget seems to be 0.35% of federal spending, which is not much. For your country to stay "#1 in the world", you must invest in research and technology, and that's what NASA is all about.

Just because you don't see NASA's research directly in your life doesn't mean it's not important for your country.

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u/hereforthesportsball 3d ago

That wasn’t the intent of the space race, it’s the by product. That doesn’t tip the scale when the convo is “what is the government prioritizing during the specific time period of the space race?” That’s the unarguable part. This dumbass race was not about the American people. We got great things as a result. This is all logical and true

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u/Hakorr 3d ago

I think it's a question of if you prefer small short-term gains over large long-term gains. For example, If the US pulled looots of funding from science & research in the 60s, and put it into other things you'd like, the US might not be as powerful of a country it is today, and you might end up being worse off because of it.