VAN NUYS : NASA Talk Runs Into Snag at School

A NASA aerospace specialist came to a Van Nuys school Wednesday to bring the space program down to earth, but ended up being knocked for a loop by a student’s question about the space agency’s budget.

John C. Lowerison, a NASA aerospace education specialist, spent the day explaining NASA’s current and future programs by using scale models of rockets and spacecraft and a mock spacesuit from the space shuttle.

Two early performances before 170 students at the Lawrence 2000 School went off without a hitch, but Lowerison’s mission ran into a snag when 11-year-old Chloe Porter raised her hand during an afternoon session with sixth-graders.

“What is the annual budget of NASA’s space program? And can you justify spending such an amount on space exploration when down here on earth we need that money for homelessness, care for the elderly, education, health care, et cetera?” Porter asked.

Lowerison, who said later that he is hardly ever asked such a question, could not come up with the answer about NASA’s budget. In an attempt to address Porter’s second question, Lowerison did find a way to bring the budget down to earth.

“This country probably spends more on pizza than on space,” Lowerison said. “This country is more than rich enough to have a space and aeronautics program and still have social programs.”

Most of teacher Susan Bloom’s class seemed satisfied with the answer. But after class was over, Porter had her doubts.

“If government can afford to have a NASA program and help the homeless, how come they’re not?” Porter asked.