Final answer:
B) A bar graph showing the yearly percentage of the federal budget spent on space exploration is the best visual aid to support the claim.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best visual aid to support the author's claim that government funding for space exploration is relatively small would be Option B) a bar graph showing the yearly percentage of the federal budget spent on space exploration. A bar graph would effectively show the relationship between the federal budget and the amount allocated for space exploration. It would provide a clear visual representation of the percentage of the budget that is dedicated to space exploration, allowing viewers to easily compare it to other budget items. This would demonstrate that the funding for space exploration is relatively small in relation to the overall federal budget.