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Making America great again should start with our space program

With Donald Trump just days away from becoming our president, the phrase “make America great again” has been burned into our popular culture. But what does that really mean?

Think back at some of the greatest moments in American history and it won’t take you long before you get to the moon shot when Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first two human beings to set foot upon Earth’s moon during the Apollo 11 mission.

It may still be the greatest achievement in human history.

For those who gathered around the TV to watch Armstrong take a small step that became a giant leap, it is a moment of unmatched American pride. For we had demonstrated that the United States — and the United States alone — had the ability to meet President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the Earth.

Not only that, but the research and development conducted during the Apollo program led to countless benefits in everything from better athletic shoes to life-saving medical equipment.

President Barack Obama, while deserving of the criticism he’s received in this space, to his credit has followed in Kennedy’s footsteps by challenging NASA to land a human on Mars during the decade of the 2030s.

And while that will certainly cost money, if this Mars program is anything like the Apollo program was, that investment will bear invaluable fruit in the way of technological advances that will benefit everyone.

Plus, how proud will we be as Americans when we someday see the first human setting foot upon the “Red Planet” while wearing a U.S. flag patch on his or her shoulder?

In the past several years, we’ve lost space heroes like Armstrong, John Glenn and even the most recent man to walk on the moon, Gene Cernan, who died Monday. In fact, only six of the 12 men who have landed on the moon are still alive.

Don’t we owe it to them to go further, to make their efforts a stepping stone instead of the end of the story?

We’ve heard from many that the world is safest when the U.S. leads. What better way then, for America to show that leadership than by allowing her to provide stewardship for mankind’s continued exploration of space?

We can think of no more fitting launchpad for America’s return to greatness.

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