In the days that you had to ask a switchboard operator to call your friends and couldn’t use the landline if your neighbor was already talking, the United States government landed on a moving object 238,900 miles away. So, in the era of group Facetimes and robots beating world champions in Chess, we most definitely have the technology to visit the Moon and beyond. But why haven’t we? 

Our NASA budget has drastically declined in the past 50 years. In 1969, the NASA budget was 2.31% of the US Federal budget, while in 2019, it’s only 0.49%. 

Fiscally Responsibility?: A report by the Space Foundation concluded that activities related to space exploration contributed to $180 billion in 2005, which means that for every dollar spent on the NASA budget produces $10 for the economy. 

Good thing is that private companies have reinvigorated public sentiment. 

• 72% of American adults believe that it is essential the US continues to be a world leader in space exploration, according to the Pew Research Center. 

Where are we?: The Trump Administration has proposed a sixth branch of the United States Armed Force, Space Force. This Department would 

What can we find?: Helium-3, an isotope rare on Earth, is believed to be found in exorbitant amounts on Moon. With an overwhelming power supply, the exploration could potentially produce clean and safe nuclear energy for the United States. 

The Space Force can be an operation for self-defense, non-aggressive military activity, and scientific exploration.