Public Opinion About Space Exploration - Public Opinion About Future Space Programs To The Moon And Mars

In January 2004 President George W. Bush proposed a new agenda for the nation's space program that focuses on sending astronauts to the Moon and Mars. During the summer of 2004 Gallup polled Americans about their level of support for this new space exploration plan. The pollsters described the plan in general terms and noted that it was to be assumed that NASA's budget would not exceed 1% of the total federal budget. As shown in Figure 9.6 a majority of those asked (68%) supported the plan. Another 24% were opposed to the plan, while 6% expressed a neutral opinion.

However, a Gallup poll conducted later indicated that Americans provide somewhat different viewpoints when this question is phrased in a different manner. In June 2005 Gallup asked people if they favored or opposed the United States "setting aside money" for a project to land an astronaut on Mars. The pollsters found that a majority of those asked (58%) opposed the idea, while 40% were in favor of it.

NASA administrator Michael Griffin publicly criticized the wording of this poll question. In an interview televised on the Meet the Press television show Griffin said that the question should have been phrased to ask Americans how best to spend the budget that NASA was going to be allocated in future years. Griffin believes that, given a choice between shuttle missions in low-Earth orbit and more adventuresome plans, Americans will choose the bolder undertaking.