Where Only America Has Gone Before

Today (July 20th) marks the 46th anniversary of Neil Armstrong becoming the first man to land on the moon. With the famous words Thats one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind, Armstrong solidified Americas (and his own) place in the history books. Never before had a nation possessed the resources, and the will power, to actually land people on the moon. Never before had a country allowed science and technology to flourish, allowing mankind to accomplish innumerable wonders.Americas triumphs did not end there. Following the success of Apollo 11, America put 10 more astronauts on the moon. When Gene Caron, commander of the last Apollo mission to the moon, left, he said that American would come back. We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace, and hope for all mankind. America never did go back the moon, but continued to advance the field of space flight beyond anyones wild imagination. The dawn of the Space Shuttle promised even more advances in technology, with many talking about missions to Mars, or possibly returning to the moon.Such dreams never materialized, and when the Shuttle program officially closed on August 31st, 2011, many Americans feared that NASA was finished. America had peaked in terms of space-race technology, and we no longer cared about space. With China, Russia, and yes even North Korea, attempting to launch people into orbit, or even land them on the moon, these fears now seem like reality. China is investing billions of dollars in its space program. Russia isnt as heavily invested, but as of right now they are the only way to get people into space. Conventional wisdom says that America on the other hand doesnt seem to have done anything terribly remarkable.However, things are not always as they appear.On July 14th America showed the world that we arent quite finished doing the impossible. NASAs New Horizons space probe sent back the first clear images of Pluto. These images were the first of their kind, and New Horizons was the first space probe to ever fly by Pluto and capture clear images of its surface. The images are still pouring in, and will be until August of 2016, but they are revealing an entire world that has never been seen by human eyes. America once again did the impossible. With the successful fly-by of Pluto, America has become the first country in the entire world to explore every single planet in our Solar System.Only America could do this. Only America has the resources and the freedom to allow such marvels to occur. As much as China may pontificate about how superior their space program is (ironically enough most of which is stolen from NASA), they could never in a million years achieve what America has. They lack the drive, and the freedom, needed to allow such accomplishments to continue. Its hard to encourage your people to have dreams of going into space if you crack down on any and all freedom of speech.Americas marvels in space promise to continue. SpaceX and other private companies are attempting to build the infrastructure needed to launch people into space. While they are having setbacks, not unlike NASA in the 1950s, they do show promise. As with many things in this country, once the private sector gets involved, technological innovation surges. Just look at the telephone. In addition, NASA is developing a next-generation capsule to launch people into space. This capsule, which is similar to the design of Apollo 11, will have the ability to send Americans to the moon, Mars, and who knows where else!There are some Americans who question the need for NASA. They see it as a multi-billion dollar waste. So we put someone on the moon, they say, big deal. How does that cure world hunger, or end violence? It doesnt, but many technologies that are used everyday are a direct result of the space program. Here are just a few:1) Satellite TV.2) Insulation3) Freeze-dried food (which incidentally does help reduce world hunger)4) Smoke Detectors5) Long distance phone calls6) Solar PanelsThe list goes on and on. Countless things we take for granted that improve, or even save, lives are a direct result of the American space program. Would these things have been invented without NASA? Probably, but you can never be sure, and they certainly wouldnt have been invented as quickly as they were.Neil Armstrong inspired an entire generation of Americans to do the impossible, to think outside the box. Kids watching the black and white photos of a man bouncing on the moon suddenly realized that they lived in a country where they could come up with ideas that are, quite literally, out of this world. The scientists and engineers who designed todays space marvels are continuing that pattern. Who knows how many young kids will look at those photos of Pluto and decide that they want to be the ones to go photograph a planet in another Solar System. Maybe one of them will be the first person to fly by Pluto, or even land on it. The possibilities are endless.America has its flaws, but it also has tremendous strengths. Our space program continues to amaze the entire world, showing everyone that America can never be topped for long. America will always be the country that will amaze the world, and inspire untold millions of people. http://www.teapartytribune.com/2015/07/20/america-has-gone-before/