By Matt Patrick, Columnist
In July 1969, millions of people around the world gathered around their televisions to witness what still stands as one of the greatest achievements in human history.
They watched Neil Armstrong make a human footprint on the surface of the moon.
This was the culmination of billions of dollars, countless hours of labor and nearly 10 years of work. But many people wonder, “What’s the point?” Some will say that the achievements are important, but what did we get out of it besides moon rocks?
During the congressional debt ceiling debate, NASA was frequently named as a potential target for budget cuts.
There has been much debate about whether or not we should invest in space exploration.
Some people don’t see it as producing anything useful. This is harmful. If we paid attention to the bigger picture, we could see why it is truly an important investment.
One of the most practical benefits of space exploration is the massive leap in technology that comes from the scientific research that drives the space program.
From computers to different cloth material technologies, the Space Race helped bring us into the modern era at an incredibly fast rate. GPS, some TV, communications, Internet, and security technologies all rely to some extent on satellites, which were a key focus of research during the middle of the 20th century. There are other reasons to explore the great unknown.
When people crowded around the television and watched these amazing acts of human reason and logic, people forgot the turmoil of the 1960s and dreamed for a moment.
It is so important to dream in our society.
If we aren’t striving for great things, then we are in a rough place.
Apollo 8 is a prime example. In 1968, the Vietnam War was escalating while the civil rights movement was intensifying. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated within two months of each other.
On Christmas Eve of 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 reached the orbit of the moon for the first time and inspired an entire generation with a reading from the creation story in Genesis and photos of the earth rising over the lunar surface.
As Apollo 8 was doing the usual routine of photos, mission objectives and phone calls from the President, a telegram came in from a stranger that was read by mission control to the astronauts of Apollo 8.
The stranger simply said, “Thanks, you saved 1968.” That is why space exploration is so important.
It helps us unite under the common need to dream about what is beyond ourselves. The experience of that dream is priceless, and that is why it is worth investing in.
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