The graph illustrates data about the U.S government spending on research, over 28 years between 1980-2008.
Overall, it is interesting to note that there was an upward trend in Health Research. Another interesting point is that Space and Other Research saw a considerable jump, while the expenditure for Energy and General Science Research fluctuated over the period of time.
If we look at Health Research, it started at just under $10B in 1980, at which point it rose gradually and leveled off at just over $15B in 2000. Following this, the figure rocketed up to $22B in 2004, but unfortunately, perhaps due to the Global Financial Crisis, the number dropped to just over $15B in 2008.
By contrast, the expenditure on other types of research went in the opposite direction. Looking at the details, as regards General Science Research, it started at just under $5B in 1980. Despite fluctuating negligibly, the figure remained stable at $5B in 2008. However, Space Research saw upward trends throughout the time. The number of money invested remained stable at $5B until 1992, after which it faced a marginal rise to under $10B until 2008. Also, as for Energy Research, the expenditure figure jumped only in 1996 to just over $5B. Having increased sharply, the number halved and remained firm for 4 years, after which it went up in 2008. Lastly, the expenditure for Other Research faced a dramatic fall to $5B because of the Global Financial Crisis, although it started at approximately $8B in 1980.