The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, created to research and develop breakthroughs in space exploration, has strayed from its original goal of historic achievements, even to the point of becoming an obstacle to social life and economic of the Americans. . For more than 35 years, humanity has remained in low Earth orbit despite billions of taxpayer dollars poured into NASA. NASA leaders discourage privately funded industries from contributing to the "space race" and have claimed space as their domain. Additionally, the government-funded space program faces a problem of overbudgeting, failing to start or complete expensive projects, and working on unnecessary experiments. Space exploration began in 1957 with the launch of Sputnik 1 in October. Since then, NASA has sent only one group of men out of Earth's orbit to visit the Moon. Compare this “advancement” in space travel to aviation. Since Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, the aeronautical industry has become an international business (Kay 2). The difference between the two is that in its youth, aviation was financed by private industries that developed new mechanisms. The only government funding for aviation was "paying private pilots to deliver air mail" ("Do We Need NASA?"). NASA, on the other hand, gets government funds from taxpayers' pockets, and it receives no support from private industries. (“Do we need NASA?”). In fact, NASA looks down on engineering and private space travel. For example, millionaire Dennis Tito, a former NASA scientist, offered to pay twenty million dollars for a space flight to the American Space Station on a Russian spacecraft. Calling it 'un-American,' Administrator Dan Goldin publicly...... middle of paper ...... program, NASA must help entrepreneurs and focus more on space travel research, rather than on development itself. .Works CitedEasterbrook, Gregg. “How NASA Messed Up.” Wired News. Internet. March 10, 2010. .Kay, WD Defining NASA: The historic debate over the agency's mission. Albany: State University of New York, 2005. Print.McCullagh, Declan. “Do we need NASA? CNET News. Internet. March 9, 2010. Nelson, Don A. “NASA Surveillance.” Monitoring presidential directives. Internet. March 10, 2010. .Pournelle, Jerry E. “WHY NASA?” CHAOS MANSION IN PERSPECTIVE. March 16, 1995. The web. March 10. 2010. .