I wasn’t even alive when Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong went to the moon yet that didn’t prevent me from being inspired by the program at a young age. When I was 12 my parents and I took a trip to Florida, there we visited Kennedy Space Center, it was at this moment that I knew our country had something special, and it was something I’ve wanted to be a part of since. I’ll never forget the moment when I first saw the Saturn V rocket sitting horizontally in a hanger and thinking “wow, people really did work together to make this possible”.
I’ve always been an advocate of the space program; people around me have wondered why someone my age would care so much about NASA. Some people have said “what good has come from NASA” and “why should we be spending on space exploration when we need to solve problems here?”, these questions always boggle my mind. I’m never upset that people ask these questions; in fact I expect them with the lack of media attention NASA receives. Space Shuttle launches today are considered routine by most Americans, yet when one is destroyed along with its crew people suddenly begin to pay attention to the program.
Have you forgotten what it feels like to be inspired? Have you forgotten what it feels like to hope and dream? NASA can rekindle this spirit in Americans and it can begin now. In the 1960’s NASA had John F. Kennedy to inspire this countries citizens and get them behind the Apollo program, someone needs to step up to the plate today and do the same. However, a simple speech won’t be enough to reignite a return trip to the Moon or begin a majestic manned mission to Mars. Sure George W. Bush said in 2003 that he wanted to return to the Moon and then travel to Mars, yet in his remaining five years in office I never heard him utter another word regarding the new mission.
The Apollo programs total cost is just over $125 billion in today’s money, would it be worthwhile to spend that amount or more on a return trip? My answer is an overwhelming yes. In the past 8 months I’ve seen our countries leaders give nearly $800 billion to companies for bailouts and I can only wonder what tax payers will receive in return for paying for it. NASA’s existence has led to the creation of thousands of new inventions and significant advancements in existing technologies. MRI / CAT scanners, thermal protection for fire fighters, infrared devices, kidney pumps and even the internet are in existence today because of NASA technology. Personally I believe that the greatest thing NASA has given us is inspiration itself. We need our children to enter fields of science and engineering; our country cannot sit back and let others take the lead in these fields while the United States becomes a country of Wal-Marts.
To explore the universe and search for life, to protect our home planet, to inspire the next generation of explorers…as only NASA can.
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