In the Atlantic, celebrity scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses his new book about America’s foundering space program. An excerpt:

“You write that space exploration is a ‘necessity.’ Why do you think others don’t agree?

I don’t think they’ve thought it through. Most people who don’t agree say, ‘We have problems here on Earth. Let’s focus on them.’ Well, we are focusing on them. The budget of social programs in the federal tax base is 50 times greater for social programs than it is for NASA. We’re already focused in ways that many people who are NASA naysayers would rather it become. NASA is getting half a penny on a dollar — I’m saying let’s double it. A penny on a dollar would be enough to have a real Mars mission in the near future.

Can the United States catch up in the 21st-century space race?

When everyone agrees to a single solution and a single plan, there’s nothing more efficient in the world than an efficient democracy. But unfortunately the opposite is also true, there’s nothing less efficient in the world than an inefficient democracy. That’s when dictatorships and other sort of autocratic societies can pass you by while you’re bickering over one thing or another.

But, I can tell you that when everything aligns, this is a nation where people are inventing the future every day. And that future is brought to you by scientists, engineers, and technologists. That’s how I’ve always viewed it. Once people understand that, I don’t see why they wouldn’t say, ‘Sure, let’s double NASA’s budget to an entire penny on a dollar! And by the way, here’s my other 25 pennies for social programs.’ I think it’s possible and I think it can happen, but people need to stop thinking that NASA is some kind of luxury project that can be done on disposable income that we happen to have left over. That’s like letting your seed corn rot in the storage basin.”