Space: The Wayside Frontier

"Space is the breath of art." -Frank Lloyd Wright

Who among us has not turned their face to the evening sky and wondered what was out there in the deep vastness of space, dotted with firefly-like stars, swathed with the gauze of galaxies. The unknown, which is now known a bit better thanks to the innovations of Americans stands to fade again into the realm of private industry seclusion. Thanks to Obama's cuts to the shuttle program and the cancellation of a possible second NASA moon voyage, things for NASA are looking rather... terrestrial.

It's important to say that I don't believe space travel is completely dead at this juncture. No, private industry will do fine with it as long as the government doesn't interfere, but there's something noble about our country leading the way into the last frontier. The quest for understanding of the heavens brought a unique kind of patriotism to the United States. Children were able to see their fascination with space meld with service of country. Budding scientists and physicists were led down a different path, from development of weapons to development of innovation. One of the most significant human accomplishments was the moon landing. What more proof of forward thinking and hard work could there have been than planting the Stars and Stripes on the moon's surface?

When I was a child, there was still a lot of interest in space. We had lengthy studies in my middle-grade schooling on the subject. One of my science classes actually built a shuttle simulator. Space was the things dreams were made of, it was the wistful impetus of imagination. 'Space Camp' was almost as cool as Disney World and was a huge experience for many children. Though I understand the effort to cut funds, I don't understand the choices of where to cut. We've essentially given up our interest in the last, untamed frontier in favor of yet more entitlement programs. We've tossed aside the pioneering spirit that made us Americans in order to pay for things we should never be paying for.

The quest for the conquest and exploration of space is an ideal, a symbol, like the flag or the bald eagle. There's something uniquely American about it. Now, like many things, Obama has seen to ignore that tradition in favor of things he feels are better traditions: entitlement, repression, and domination. I say we rebel; I say we fight back. Tell Washington what we want, what we need. Let November 2010 and every following November be a testament to American values and dreams. Look up to the sky, lose yourself in the infinity and smile; because as long as there is a canopy of sapphire and diamonds above our great nation, there will be genuine hope.