I have tried to think of the beginning of spaceflight as a metaphor for brothers. The siblings argued over whose idea it was first. Two of the boys, Russia and the United States, decided that they would have a race to see who could get there first. Just like any challenge, the winner would get bragging rights for the rest of their life. After Russia got into orbit around the Earth first and technically won, the US decided that they should go again to see who could get farther, because getting into orbit was just an elementary achievement. After the United States were the first to land on the moon, there was a full blown space war going on, with an everlasting list of firsts being achieved by either: the first woman, the first spacewalk,
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Little do Americans realize—spaceflight is a team effort, not a one-man show. If we, as Americans, do not work together along with all of the other countries at the International Space Station, then we are simply selfish. It is egotistical to hold back intellectual minds simply due to the fact that there is no longer a contest to win. The incentive for space travel should be learning new things about our universe and contributing ourselves to something bigger than ourselves. The galaxies and cosmos we are a part of are unimaginably bigger than US, yet Americans repeatedly choose a larger military budget to fight other countries rather than a budget for NASA. Americans should be lending a hand in helping discover where we can from and what all the universe and beyond contains, yet they prefer to let someone else do the work for them. By this choice, the United States chooses to be a bully instead of a supportive friend. The termination of American spaceflight is an example to the students of this decade and forever after that winning should be foremost on our minds—not helping other people who in turn help us. As for how Americans electing to leave spaceflight behind affects me, I can say that it takes a tremendous blow to my patriotism. I am overly enthusiastic about everything I am involved in, but the selfish nature of America disappoints me in ways unimaginable to some people. Spaceflight
Little do Americans realize—spaceflight is a team effort, not a one-man show. If we, as Americans, do not work together along with all of the other countries at the International Space Station, then we are simply selfish. It is egotistical to hold back intellectual minds simply due to the fact that there is no longer a contest to win. The incentive for space travel should be learning new things about our universe and contributing ourselves to something bigger than ourselves. The galaxies and cosmos we are a part of are unimaginably bigger than US, yet Americans repeatedly choose a larger military budget to fight other countries rather than a budget for NASA. Americans should be lending a hand in helping discover where we can from and what all the universe and beyond contains, yet they prefer to let someone else do the work for them. By this choice, the United States chooses to be a bully instead of a supportive friend. The termination of American spaceflight is an example to the students of this decade and forever after that winning should be foremost on our minds—not helping other people who in turn help us. As for how Americans electing to leave spaceflight behind affects me, I can say that it takes a tremendous blow to my patriotism. I am overly enthusiastic about everything I am involved in, but the selfish nature of America disappoints me in ways unimaginable to some people. Spaceflight