As long as America is paying for the vast majority of space exploration, the achievements belong to us. We spend almost 3 times the entire rest of the world combined, about $60 billion to $22 billion a year. Global achievement requires global contribution. Leveled for GDP, the rest of the world would need to spend about $160 billion a year more than they are.
Editing in more details from posts I've made before:
The total 2010 US Space budget was $64.6B. The entire rest of the world combined spent only $22.5B. NASA's 2010 budget was $18.7B, 83% of the spending for the rest of the world. The entire ESA budget is a paltry $4.6B, while the EU has a higher GDP than the US.
Not all US space spending is through NASA. For example, the GPS system is not included in NASA's budget, it's spearheaded by the Air Force Space Command, and comes out of the Defense budget. And before anyone says that Defense space spending should not be included, keep in mind that will dramatically reduce the overall global space budget which does include defense spending. For example, the European Galileo satellite navigation system, which has cost some €20B, is included in the ESA budget, so it would have to be taken out in order to compare with NASA, our civilian space program.
If the rest of the world spent as much as the United States on space exploration by GDP, global space spending would be 4.1 times higher than it is today. $267B instead of $87.1B.
>As long as America is paying for the vast majority of space exploration, the achievements belong to us.
Well next time you can wait 12hrs until your own receivers get the signal from the rover. Or perhaps the achievements belong to Australia as well?
As an Australian your post really rubbed me the wrong way. We've been helping NASA with our specialised equipment and expertise for decades (at the Australian taxpayers expense).
[EDIT] Well, this comment is in response to a comment which has just been deleted. [/EDIT]
> Sort of a meaningless statement, Columbus never claimed America for himself.
Of course he didn't.
> Kind of like the article itself: how could space even belong to a country? What is the meaning in that?
Well, it wasn't so long ago, when american colonists could discover a land or territory and claim it for themselves. After all, it is the way USA became what it is today : U.S. -- A., kind of.
You nailed it : how could space (or a planet, or part of a planet) could belong to a country ? What if USA claimed Mars ? Of course they won't. Of course if they did, the UN would say they can't. But ultimately, space is like anything else, it belongs to whoever controls it.
>jcnnghm is on the point. To add to his point, the US continues to innovate in space exploration, and the pride in doing so fuels that exploration.
Of course the pride is for the US. But still, it's a mankind achievement, one for which we all thank US.
I think a lot of people have already corrected you on your arrogance but I will still say that regardless of however much usa spent you need to question where that money came from in the first place. That is all.
They already belong to USA with a cold war protectionist law: ITAR. That's why Russia, China, Europe, Copenhagen suborbitals, etc, are all going into space without USA's help.
To put it in perspective, it's illegal for any American to explain to a foreigner how to build the necessary means to get into space.
That said, it shouldn't be an us vs them game with progressing the knowledge.
> As long as America is paying for the vast majority of space exploration
No. The achievement doesn't belong to politicians who sign the bills granting the funding nor to taxpayers who provide the money for the politicians to give. The achievement belongs to engineers and scientists who do the impossible (one of the impossible things they do is to convince politicians to give the money in the first place).
Also, keep in mind military spending by the US ended up tying a lot of money in the Soviet Union and China (who, quite reasonably, had to spend a lot building military to defend them against the US) that could have been directed at making the world a better place.
Here's my take on who the achievement really belongs to (in ascending order):
DNA based life < Mammals < Primates < Homo Sapiens < Countries involved in space exploration < Taxpayers of the USA < Rich tax payers of the USA (they contributed more proportionally right?) < People working at NASA < People actually working on the Curiosity project
While the USA puts lots of money into space projects, it also invest in cheap labor from other countries. There are poor countries that could never afford to pay for a space project but, in the other hand, if they weren't there, USA (and many other countries) would not be what they are today.
I agree with you completely with regard to the (unfortunately paltry) funding situation.
There is still a difference between that inequity that should be rectified, and the jingoism that we hear about our country.
The US and our partners are definitely doing things that have never been done before, and as everyone keeps noting, for pretty freaking cheap! I just wish we were using that as an invitation for participation from others, rather than just as an opportunity to beat the drums of nationalism.
Editing in more details from posts I've made before:
The total 2010 US Space budget was $64.6B. The entire rest of the world combined spent only $22.5B. NASA's 2010 budget was $18.7B, 83% of the spending for the rest of the world. The entire ESA budget is a paltry $4.6B, while the EU has a higher GDP than the US.
Not all US space spending is through NASA. For example, the GPS system is not included in NASA's budget, it's spearheaded by the Air Force Space Command, and comes out of the Defense budget. And before anyone says that Defense space spending should not be included, keep in mind that will dramatically reduce the overall global space budget which does include defense spending. For example, the European Galileo satellite navigation system, which has cost some €20B, is included in the ESA budget, so it would have to be taken out in order to compare with NASA, our civilian space program.
If the rest of the world spent as much as the United States on space exploration by GDP, global space spending would be 4.1 times higher than it is today. $267B instead of $87.1B.