Read the excerpt from "Majority of Americans Believe It Is Essential That the U. S. Remain a Global Leader in Space." Majorities say the International Space Station has been a good investment for the country and that, on balance, NASA is still vital to the future of U. S. space exploration even as private space companies emerge as increasingly important players.

Roughly seven-in-ten Americans (72%) say it is essential for the U. S. to continue to be a world leader in space exploration, and eight-in-ten (80%) say the space station has been a good investment for the country, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted March 27–April 9, 2018.

These survey results come at a time when NASA finds itself in a much different world from the one that existed when the Apollo astronauts first set foot on the moon nearly half a century ago. The Cold War space race has receded into history, but other countries (including China, Japan a