Recently, NASA landed the Curiosity rover on Mars. Several weeks prior to this accomplishment, Bill Nye, (yes, the science guy) said that if the US doesn’t continue funding space exploration, that it could lose its competitive edge in space.

My question to Mr Nye’s assertion is: So what? So what if the US isn’t launching the most sophisticated satellites? Who cares if we aren’t landing rovers on planets first, or sending probes to explore astronauts? What impact will this have on our daily lives?

The answer, so far as I am aware is: No one knows. No one really knows what we could possibly be missing out on. No one really understands the true value of space exploration. We advocate for it, or we rally against its costs, but I don’t think we truly understand its benefits. I know I don’t. What I do know is that as a philosophy, space exploration appeals to one of our core competencies as a nation. We love to explore. We love the unknown, and being the first to reach the unknown is a point of national pride.

I wasn’t alive for the moon landing, but my parents were. They tell me that I couldn’t possibly understand the jubilation and national pride that accompanied watching those astronauts take their first bouncing steps onto the lunar surface. You just had to experience it live for yourself.

While I am fascinated with space, and I appreciate the desire for a robust space program, I also appreciate the fiscal need to scale back. Perhaps NASA should further partner with well-funded private entities to keep our legacy of space exploration alive. Why should we be doing this? Because we don’t know what we would be missing out on if we don’t continue this trend. All we can say with certainty is that as a Nation, space exploration is one of our core competencies. It’s something we’re good at. We enjoy it. We are a country of pioneers; and as one well-spoken Enterprise captain would say, space is “the final frontier”. Maybe for our American identity, we need to see what’s out there.

What are your core competencies? Have you identified them? Are they things that reflect your inner values and beliefs? Have you worked at your goals and made the skills required to achieve them into your strong suits?

Other cool things: Adler Planetarium Models, Challenger Learning Center Gravity Interactive