We are calling for the Obama administration and the US Congress to increase NASA's funding from its current roughly 0.46% to a whole 1% of the US annual budget. NASA contributes massive amounts of technological, economical and inspiration power to our nation, and we want to see that they are funded to continue doing just that!


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22 notes
Posted 15, May, 2013
POLL: 76% Of Americans Support Doubling NASA’s Budget For A Mission To MarsThe American public overwhelmingly support a doubling of NASA’s budget in order to fund a mission to Mars, according to a recent survey. The poll, commissioned by Explore Mars, a nonprofit organization, and aerospace contractor Boeing, also demonstrated a high degree of enthusiasm about human exploration of Mars.The survey found that 76 percent of Americans agree that NASA’s budget should be increased to 1 percent of the total federal budget to fund initiatives, including a mission to Mars. Currently NASA’s budget represents less than 0.5 percent of overall federal spending.Read more about the poll’s findings in our latest blog post athttp://www.penny4nasa.org/2013/05/15/poll-americans-overwhelmingly-support-doubling-nasas-budget-mission-to-mars/Write Congress and let them know you support doubling NASA’s budget for a mission to Mars:http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action/

POLL: 76% Of Americans Support Doubling NASA’s Budget For A Mission To Mars

The American public overwhelmingly support a doubling of NASA’s budget in order to fund a mission to Mars, according to a recent survey. The poll, commissioned by Explore Mars, a nonprofit organization, and aerospace contractor Boeing, also demonstrated a high degree of enthusiasm about human exploration of Mars.

The survey found that 76 percent of Americans agree that NASA’s budget should be increased to 1 percent of the total federal budget to fund initiatives, including a mission to Mars. Currently NASA’s budget represents less than 0.5 percent of overall federal spending.

Read more about the poll’s findings in our latest blog post at
http://www.penny4nasa.org/2013/05/15/poll-americans-overwhelmingly-support-doubling-nasas-budget-mission-to-mars/

Write Congress and let them know you support doubling NASA’s budget for a mission to Mars:
http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action/

10 notes
Posted 1, April, 2013
Major News Announcement from MSL Curiosity on Mars: After recovering from a computer glitch that prompted the engineers to switch the rover to a redundant main computer, it appears Curiosity has made a stunning find on the surface of the Red Planet. Apparently evidence of life has been discovered on the Red Planet. Scientists working with the Martian rover say that it pretty conclusive. They’ve released the following imagery to the public. 

Major News Announcement from MSL Curiosity on Mars:

After recovering from a computer glitch that prompted the engineers to switch the rover to a redundant main computer, it appears Curiosity has made a stunning find on the surface of the Red Planet. Apparently evidence of life has been discovered on the Red Planet.

Scientists working with the Martian rover say that it pretty conclusive. They’ve released the following imagery to the public. 

41 notes
Posted 25, March, 2013
Have you been curious about what is happening with Curiosity? Curiosity entered “safe mode” during the late evening on March 16. The rover put itself in the precautionary standby status when a command file failed a size-check by the rover’s protective software. NASA engineers quickly diagnosed the software issue, deleted the file that was causing the size error, and Curiosity was back to active status by March 19. Now that the rover has exited safe mode, Curiosity is expected to begin science observations any day now. The mission’s science observations have been on hold since February 27 after a memory glitch on the A-side computer. Controllers commanded a swap from the A-side computer to the B-side computer. The A-side is now available as a backup for the rover, if needed. Read more about NASA’s preparations for technological glitches and next month’s suspension of communication with Curiosity.

Have you been curious about what is happening with Curiosity?

Curiosity entered “safe mode” during the late evening on March 16. The rover put itself in the precautionary standby status when a command file failed a size-check by the rover’s protective software. NASA engineers quickly diagnosed the software issue, deleted the file that was causing the size error, and Curiosity was back to active status by March 19.

Now that the rover has exited safe mode, Curiosity is expected to begin science observations any day now. The mission’s science observations have been on hold since February 27 after a memory glitch on the A-side computer. Controllers commanded a swap from the A-side computer to the B-side computer. The A-side is now available as a backup for the rover, if needed.

Read more about NASA’s preparations for technological glitches and next month’s suspension of communication with Curiosity.

6 notes
Posted 27, February, 2013

Dr. Andrew S. Keys is the Center Chief Technologist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Since May 2010, he has guided the center in defining and developing the latest technologies to help Marshall scientists and engineers accomplish NASA’s exploration mission. 

In Dr. Keys TEDxNashville talk, he asks the following questions:

1. Why do we explore?
2. What is the return on an investment in exploration?
3. Is space exploration worth the risk?

This talk will focus on the subject of human space exploration and the benefits of not just reaching difficult destinations, but the importance of the “lessons learned” in getting there.

Read more about Andrew Keys: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/about_us/bios/oct_cc_keys_bio.html

4 notes
Posted 13, February, 2013
Many of you believe that the human exploration of space will be the most rewarding experience for humanity…that economic benefits, preservation of our civilization from space-borne disasters and the ability to solve supposed intractable problems down here on Earth would follow a wholesale embrace of the exploration of space. This is true! But. How many of you have said as much to Congress? NOW IS THE TIME. Write to Congress right now using our Popvox application at http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action/ Tell them America needs more space. 

Many of you believe that the human exploration of space will be the most rewarding experience for humanity…that economic benefits, preservation of our civilization from space-borne disasters and the ability to solve supposed intractable problems down here on Earth would follow a wholesale embrace of the exploration of space. This is true!

But. How many of you have said as much to Congress? NOW IS THE TIME. Write to Congress right now using our Popvox application at http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action/

Tell them America needs more space. 

32 notes
Posted 22, January, 2013
While NASA’s Curiosity Rover is absorbing all the spotlight, it’s easy to forget it’s not the only rover roaming the Martian surface.  NASA’s Opportunity Rover is embarking on it’s 10th year of exploration, despite only being tasked to operate for 3 months.http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_MARS_ROVERWant To Continue Mars Exploration? Tell Congress To Double NASA’s Budget:http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action/

While NASA’s Curiosity Rover is absorbing all the spotlight, it’s easy to forget it’s not the only rover roaming the Martian surface.  NASA’s Opportunity Rover is embarking on it’s 10th year of exploration, despite only being tasked to operate for 3 months.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_MARS_ROVER

Want To Continue Mars Exploration? Tell Congress To Double NASA’s Budget:
http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action/

8 notes
Posted 10, December, 2012
Want To See The Mars Rover On The Cover Of TIME Magazine?Then VOTE NOW To Make NASA’s Curiosity Rover TIME’s Person Of The Year:http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2128881_2128882_2129215,00.htmlVoting Ends December 12th, 2012.Don’t Forget To Tell Congress To Spare A Penny4NASA:http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action/

Want To See The Mars Rover On The Cover Of TIME Magazine?

Then VOTE NOW To Make NASA’s Curiosity Rover TIME’s Person Of The Year:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2128881_2128882_2129215,00.html

Voting Ends December 12th, 2012.

Don’t Forget To Tell Congress To Spare A Penny4NASA:
http://www.penny4nasa.org/take-action/

11 notes
Posted 3, December, 2012
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory held a press conference today where they announced the results of MSL Curiosity’s first few results from the Sample Analysis on Mars (SAM) instrument. Organic compounds have been detected by the SAM instrument, they reported, but the science team are yet to determine whether or not the compounds are native Martian or if they hitched a ride on Curiosity from Earth.  More investigation is warranted, they say. However, the possibility of Martian-based compounds is exciting isn’t it? Even if those compounds are abiotic. Get the full story here: http://www.penny4nasa.org/2012/12/03/first-results-from-curiositys-sam-instrument/

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory held a press conference today where they announced the results of MSL Curiosity’s first few results from the Sample Analysis on Mars (SAM) instrument. Organic compounds have been detected by the SAM instrument, they reported, but the science team are yet to determine whether or not the compounds are native Martian or if they hitched a ride on Curiosity from Earth. 

More investigation is warranted, they say. However, the possibility of Martian-based compounds is exciting isn’t it? Even if those compounds are abiotic. Get the full story here: http://www.penny4nasa.org/2012/12/03/first-results-from-curiositys-sam-instrument/