Since the end of the space race during the Cold War, precious little has been done to expand the programs of both unmanned and human space exploration. We have been trapped in low Earth orbit for too long while we should be reaching for the cosmic horizon.
When I speak to friends who immigrated here from abroad, they often speak of NASA as an inspiration for wanting to become an American. The Obama administration should pay more attention to and provide more funding for NASA. The Department of Defense should not be allowed to own space.
The TARP bailout was larger than the entire 50 year budget of NASA. Surely greater resources can be diverted for the greatest endeavor humanity has ever undertaken: the peaceful exploration and eventual colonization of space.