Since the dawn of humanity, the stars have captivated our species. They have guided sailors to unfamiliar shores, and helped them navigate back home. They influenced the beliefs of religions and societies from all over the world. They inspired people to ask deep questions about the nature of the universe, and in the past 60 years we have started to answer many of these questions.

When the United States put a man on the moon in 1969, it jump started an era of innovation. For one, it brought science to the forefront of American society in a way that had never been seen before. If NASA could complete the impossible task of landing a man on a rock floating nearly 250,000 miles away in the vacuum of space, what couldn’t humans accomplish? Space exploration in the ‘50s and ‘60s encouraged scientific literacy especially among the younger generations of the period. In the following decades the kids who watched Neil Armstrong step onto the lunar surface for the first time invented complex computers and the internet, heralding in the Information Age. The Space Race inspired a generation of Americans to pursue the sciences, and as a reward the United States spearheaded the tech industries that now shape every aspect of our modern world.

But over the years, NASA’s budget shrunk from a peak of 4.4% of the national annual budget in 1996 to just 0.5% of the budget—or 18.4 billion dollars—in 2015 [1]. Meanwhile, technology is improving at a steady rate, but we no longer see the world-changing leaps and bounds--like the advent of the computer--that we did in the decades following the moon landing. Additionally, in an extremely divisive political climate, many people are starting to distrust science, seeing it as a political tool. For example, despite overwhelming acceptance among scientists, climate change has become the subject of many political debates as of late.

Many people see climate change itself as enough justification for an expanded space program. If humanity pollutes earth to the point where it can no longer support or population, the only option other than mass extinction would be to move to another planet. Space exploration may turn out to be our species’ only chance of long-term survival. While it is difficult for many to think so far in advance, there are many tangible short term benefits that can be derived from space exploration.

In 2004, former President of the United States George W. Bush called for a resurgence of space exploration, citing national security, scientific discovery and economic improvement. In his call to once again send humans “into the cosmos”, Bush harked back to the misguided ideals of machismo, competition and fear which have driven the space race since its inception in 1958 [5]. This regressive form of thinking is not applicable to the modern world. The days of manned space travel are over. The United States must reform and refine its space program, changing both the nature of exploration and prioritizing feasible solutions to pressing issues in the world today.

Territorialism is inherently American. Born in concepts such as manifest destiny and the “Big Stick” diplomacy, US imperialism was showcased most fully during the space race of Cold War. Fear that other countries’ space programs could outpace our own has colored our view of the cosmos, leading the US to overcommit to space exploration. This fear based decision making is contrary to our national identity. The United States is not a country that acts out of fear. We lead from the front, and for that reason we must evaluate space exploration based on its merits, not those that other countries have assigned to it.

Pressing issues on earth, including climate change, widespread disease, and famine necessitate economic efficiency in all government ventures. Essentially, the US must pick its investments wisely. When evaluating space, it is first important to remember that in the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower “every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed". Since its founding, the US has invested nearly  $812 billion into programs related to space exploration [6]. This investment has aided in the creation of many new technologies including satellite television, the computer and smoke/carbon monoxide detectors among others [7]. Proponents of space exploration conclude that without the US’ heavy interest and investment in NASA, these advancements never would have occurred. These proponents confuse correlation with causation; the technological advancements were costly, inefficient and inevitable. These breakthroughs represent the shining outliers of a plethora of failed ventures, including the recent failure of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, a $278 million project which took off from Vandenberg air force base and promptly crashed into the Pacific [8]. More importantly, many of these technologies would have emerged without government aid. IBM and UNIVAC, for instance, were already far down the line creating the first computers before NASA investment.