Americans were inspired deeply by the Gemini, Apollo, Mercury, and Space Shuttle programs. It should be unthinkable that the United States has no way to send humans into orbit - while watching the Japanese, the Russians, and the Chinese surpass our capabilities in their own human spaceflight endeavors. The NASA budget was roughly a mere half of a percent of the Federal Budget the last time the Space Shuttle flew.
The Citizens of the United States would no doubt be inspired, invigorated, and made proud again to get behind any effort to recapture our spirit of exploration and realize childhood fantasy by making science fiction a reality.
New adventures, planets, ideas, and propulsion technologies are within our reach. Inspire us!
The United States should not give up space!