In the field of exobiology, there are constant battles between different groups who have different ideas. This tension naturally leads to debates about who should be gven money to support their ideas. Since most of the money which goes into research comes from the government, scientists are always lobbying the government. (Link to web site showing the US BUDGET) They also try to create a good public image of themselves so that the government and the people will support them. Without public support, most research agencies would collapse due to a lack of funding.

NASA

Since its inception, NASA has done its best to manipulate its own image, so that the public will give it support. NASA has gone through three different eras since it was created. In each of these eras, it used a different tactic to win over the public. When NASA was first created, it tried to use nationalism to gain support. From the 1950s to the early 1960s, NASA did this by telling the public that in order for the United States to be successful as a nation, it needed to develop a space program which was second to none. At this time, the United States was in fierce competition with the Soviet Union. In order to gain funds for its research and different programs, NASA convinced the government that it could not afford to fall behind the Soviet Union, or else the United States would suffer severe consequences later. By being superior in space, the United States would be able to demonstrate its superiority , which is important for the nation in international politics.

In the mid-1960s, NASA entered a new era in space, and needed to gain public support in a new way. NASA achieved this through romanticism. During this era, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had walked on the moon, and the United States public was fascinated with the idea of space exploration. Astronauts were treated as heroes who has returned from a great quest when they came back from space. NASA used this sense of awe about space to bolster support for its programs. Because of the immense backing by the public, the government was happy to support NASA's exploration programs. When NASA achieved a milestone in space, it reflected well on both NASA, and the United States government which financed the mission.

Finally, in the early 1970s, NASA once again changed the way the public felt about it in order to gain financial aid. The public was waning with its sentimental feelings about space. NASA needed to show the people of America its importance to the individual, and used pragmatism to do this. This meant showing the public and the government what it could do for them personally. Thus, NASA demonstrated the security and economic gains which are achieved through space exploration and utilization. Some of these include the use of satellites for communication and television, and the deployment of defense systems allowing for the detection of attacks from other countries. In showing how its programs were important to the individual, NASA has been able to keep its support from the public.

There have been times when funding was almost cut. In 1986, tragedy struck NASA. The space shuttle Challenger blew up shortly after taking off, and the importance of space exploration was widely questioned and criticized. However, NASA was able to rebound by emphasizing human curiousity, and cited many famous explorers such as Colombus, De Gama, and Magellan to argue the importance of exploration.

Within NASA itself, the politics of funding is immense. Specifically, the SETI program has been under intense fire. Many people believed that the probability of finding extraterrestrial intelligent life is extremely low. These people believed that the funding for SETI was a waste of important research money. In 1990, the funding from NASA for SETI was cut. This caused an outrage within SETI, but there was little to be done, so SETI broke away from NASA. Since 1991, SETI has been operating on private funds, which have not been allocated by the government.

Currently, there many heated political battles over funding. NASA invested an enormous sum of money placing the Hubble Space Telescope in space, only to find that a mirror on board was manufactured incorrectly. This was a huge embarrasment to NASA, and tarnished its credibility in the public eye. NASA needed money to fix the problem, but in the future, the government may be able to point at this mistake when deciding whether or not to fund another project.

Universities

There is also a great deal of competition for funding among universities. At a university, scientists are constantly researching, and need funds and grants from the government to do so. The government only has a limited amount of money, and so it must decide which universities to give grants to. To attract this money, universities try to recruit famous professors and researchers, so that the government will know that it is placing its money in trusted hands.

Being trusted and well funded by the government also benefits universities because it attracts more students. When more students are enrolled, a university has more funds to either invest in research or elsewhere.

There are dimensions of politics everywhere in science. Universities and government agencies seek help everywhere to help allocate funds for their research. The battles which occur are often long and heated, as most research groups try to squeeze some money from the United States government.

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