Opposition- Rebuttal

Let's face it, when it comes to the idea of space exploration, there are people out there with with reservations. Today, with NASA facing massive budget cuts from the federal budget, the private space industry is attempting to lead the way in space innovation and exploration. Even though the commercialization of space travel will decrease the overall tax paid for space travel by the citizens, there are still many out there that are against the idea of space travel being done through the private industry. These people will claim that doing such an innovative feat such as exploring the moon, an asteroid, or even a new planet should give recognition to the country rather than the title of a company. They will assert that advancements in space travel gives a sense of nationalism and should continue to be accomplished by the hands of NASA. This point of view is valid and there are many who feel this way; however, at the current state of the economy, this just can not be accomplished. Those who want to see amazing feats and accomplishments in the space field done by NASA will have to wait, and who knows for how long? This is due to the fact that NASA's accomplishments are dependent upon the funding the agency receives, and this funding is almost nonexistent right now and may continue to be nonexistent for a long period of time. So, in essence, the nation will not be recognized as a spacefaring nation if the funding is never increased. Total space commercialization is not the solution either, but the collaboration of both NASA and the private space industry will sustain space exploration for the U.S. The private sector can make routine low- earth orbit trips to go to the International Space Station or other smaller tasks and NASA can be researching and planning for major tasks such as the exploration of Mars and beyond. Accomplishments arising from a collaboration of these two entities will truly be recognized as a national effort before an effort credited to a company.