NASA’s goals and the American people’s goals for NASA aren’t quite in synch.
While NASA works toward returning astronauts to the moon and putting human footsteps on Mars that’s apparently not the aspirations of the American people, a survey of Americans by Pew Research Center finding different priorities.
Most Americans remain steadfast in their determination that the U.S. remain at the forefront of global space exploration, while eight in ten say the International Space Station has been a worthwhile investment.
NASA has found itself in a different space on planet earth, now sharing headlines with private space companies like Space X and Blue Origin. 33% of Americans are ready to put their confidence in private ventures, but 65% want NASA at the forefront.
And as those private companies offer the possibility of space travel to everyday Americans, most would prefer remaining on terra firma, the older a respondent’s age the more likely they are to prefer gravity.