NASA - National Aeronautic and Space Administration. The US gov agency in charge of space exploration. The Outer Space folks.
NOAA - National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Admin. The US gov agency in charge of oceanic exploration, as well as environmental and climate research. The Inner Space folks.
This won't be so much a list of ideas but of thoughts and questions.
1. The exploration of outer space has always captured the human imagination.
I believe that human's quest for knowledge has helped guide mankind's development.2. The exploration of "inner space" or the oceans has had far less impact on our collective imaginations.
I've always found this odd because most of the earth's surface is covered by water and the atmosphere itself is another fluid. An ocean of air that surrounds all of us and is critical to life.3. NASA's FY2022 budget was approx $24 Billion dollars.
4. NOAA's FY2022 budget was approx $8 Billion dollars
One third the budget to further explore, study, and understand the environments and processes that directly impact on all living things on planet earth.5. How many milestones or celebrities of Space can you name
6. How many milestones or celebrities of the Oceans can you name?
7. Can you name one of NASA's spacecraft or space missions?
8. How many research ships or institutions can you name?
I myself can name more private and academic vessels than I can of the NOAA fleet.9. It is fairly obvious to me that in this instance, money is the driving force.
There is a cycle of money, results, attention. The more you are able to fund, the more you are able to study. The more you study, the more results and information you gather. The more you have to show and tell, the more attention you gain. The more attention you gain, the more funding you attract. ad infinitum.10. To my view, NOAA and NASA should be equivalent agencies with equivalent excitement, innovation, and budgets. They complement each other and should not need to compete. What do you think?
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