Americans don't know how much of the taxpayer’s dollars NASA gets each year.
“For roughly the past decade, NASA has received about 0.5 percent of all planned federal spending. In the 2018 fiscal year”—about $20.7 billion.
About 85 percent of those polled thought NASA's annual federal budget should be increased.
Despite the partial federal government shutdown that's affecting NASA directly, a poll found that an overwhelming majority of American's believe NASA should more of taxpayer's dollars.
A poll found that people think NASA should get a raise, yet no one knows exactly how much government funding they receive.
NASA Watch editor Keith Cowing says the missing link is finding a third party to figure out how to get more financial support for NASA.
"If there was a non-profit organization that could pick up the two ends of this equation that is: NASA does great stuff and everybody likes it, does NASA need more, and if so, how would NASA get that? And, how do you communicate that to our leaders," said Cowing.
He said a long government shutdown could impact NASA's research and goals.
"People like NASA, they think it's important. They think space exploration is important to the country. And, there's an inspirational factor that people derive from it," said Cowing.
Those polled think returning to the moon should be a priority, but 57 percent said Mars should be NASA's main focus.