What is the actual point to NASA?

According to NASAs website http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/what_does_nasa_do.html

NASA's mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.

To do that, thousands of people have been working around the world -- and off of it -- for more than 45 years, trying to answer some basic questions. What's out there in space? How do we get there? What will we find? What can we learn there, or learn just by trying to get there, that will make life better here on Earth?

NASA's mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.

To do that, thousands of people have been working around the world -- and off of it -- for more than 45 years, trying to answer some basic questions. What's out there in space? How do we get there? What will we find? What can we learn there, or learn just by trying to get there, that will make life better here on Earth?

-NASA Today

NASA conducts its work in four principle organizations, called mission directorates:

# Aeronautics: pioneering and proving new flight technologies that improve our ability to explore and which have practical applications on Earth.

# Exploration Systems: creating new capabilities for affordable, sustainable human and robotic exploration

# Science: exploring the Earth, moon, Mars and beyond; charting the best route of discovery; and reaping the benefits of Earth and space exploration for society.

# Space Operations: providing critical enabling technologies for much of the rest of NASA through the space shuttle, the international space station and flight support.

The point has changed over the years. Here is a summary of NASA's original purpose from the space act that created the NASA agency in 1958 (not an exact quote):

-The expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space
-The improvement of aeronautical and space vehicles performance (including improving the ability to carry people into space)
-The establishment of long-range studies of the potential benefits from the utilization of aeronautical and space activities for peaceful and scientific purposes. (some of the early interplanitary missions and perhaps the space station)
-The preservation of the role of the United States as a leader in aeronautical and space science and technology (the beating the Russians to the moon part)
-Cooperation by the United States with other nations in work done pursuant to this Act
-Encourage commercial use of space

In general the original purpose was to build rockets, build spacecraft, put people in space, study space, beat the russians, encourage international coopoeration, and encourage commercial use of space. It had a pretty practical point in the beginning.

Ever since the HUGE success of the Apollo mission they continued to develop 'WOW' programs that will blow the world away with what they can do. NASA culture is still trying to impress/beat somebody even though there is nobody really there to impress/beat. This is best represented in the human spaceflight program which I guess has stayed about ~60% of the NASA budget since the Apollo program. The rest of the NASA budget is focused on science and technological development which has been practical and useful.

I think the human spaceflight program since Apollo was supposed to continually improve the ability of humans to survive in space but it has been convoluted with other objectives. They built the space station and space shuttle system archticteture mainly to WOW and do science. But the science hasn't been stellar and again there is nobody to WOW. But NASA did push rocket and spacecraft technology and learned alot about what it takes for humans to survive in space. So, the space station and shuttle programs have proven to be somewhat purposeful but perhaps not the most effective programs that could have taken place during the past several decades.

In summary the point of NASA is space science and technology development including human survival in the space environment. However, more fundamentally (albeit a more intangible) point of NASA is to permit and encourage our human nature to explore and be a becon of peaceful progress and inspiration.

Improve human knowledge & make life better for all through research concerning space, aeronautics & general science.

What is the actual point to Christopher Columbus?

"For the benefit of all".

To explore strange new worlds.
To seek out new life and new civilizations.
To boldly go where no man has gone before!

Oops. Sorry, that's Starfleet...

discover the meaning of life

to take all of our tax dollars and burn it all up in the stratosphere?