This is for NASA
Everybody seems to love NASA.
In its quest to explore space, NASA has brought us revolutionary new technologies, such as pump technology that is now used in artificial hearts, robotics that are now being used in artificial limbs, better fire-fighting systems, more efficient solar panels, and better water recycling, among other goodies.
In addition, they bring us knowledge - knowledge about our place in the universe which could not be obtained without space exploration.
Yet NASA constitutes only about one half of one percent of our federal budget. Furthermore, they're not allowed to use any of their money to promote themselves or solicit donations. They CAN accept donations - but only when donations are sent by snail mail with the appropriate accompanying paper form.
This is distressing, since snail mail is, let's face it, a foreign concept to many members of the Internet generation. The cost of postage, plus the unusual effort of printing and physically mailing a form may prevent many folks from donating to NASA who otherwise would, especially if they plan to donate small amounts.
So, I had an idea: I will mail the appropriate form to NASA, along with a check for the total amount raised by this GoFundMe account (including my own contribution of $25). In this way, I hope to increase the total amount of donations NASA recieves.
That being said, please read these two important disclaimers:
1) Since you are technically giving money to me, not directly to NASA, any donation you make to this fundraiser is not tax-deductible. In the spirit of equality, I will not claim my personal donation to NASA as a tax deduction either.
2) You CANNOT request that your donation to NASA be used for a particular project or purpose; once it's in NASA's hands, they can do whatever they want with it. Part of the reason they can't accept donations, in fact, is that they cannot be economically beholden to any private entity or individual. Read more here:
http://spaceindustrynews.com/how-to-donate-to-nasa/
P.S. - For those suggesting that a letter-writing campaign to Congress may arguably be more effective than donating WITHOUT a letter-writing campaign, I'm working on drafting a letter to Congress that enterprising folks may email to their Congresspeople.
