I recently visited Kennedy Space Center with my family on vacation.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

I will admit it. If there is one thing that makes me unapologetically patriotic and proud to be an American, it is the US space program.

While it may have been born in part out of a sense of militarism (i.e. the fear that the Soviets could otherwise control the skies), it quickly morphed into a venture that was driven by nothing more than a peaceful sense of human curiosity and the desire to reach all possible limits of achievement. And that is just...neat. There's no better word to describe it than neat.

And while space exploration has since become a truly international venture (and even private venture), the fact that so much of the path was first pioneered under the US flag is something I am truly proud of.

So for much of the visit, I was like a kid in a candy store, looking at all the various artifacts, the giant mockup of the Atlas rockets that took the Apollo astronauts to space, seeing the Atlantis shuttle orbiter right in front of me.

But towards the end, I was overcome by a somewhat bittersweet and melancholy feeling. Many of the exhibits at the Center come first with an introductory presentation, where you'll see various video clips. And watching the footage of President Kennedy call on us to visit the moon, it was such an eloquent, dignified clarion call and a reminder of greatness and leadership.

And then I realized where we were today, with Donald Trump--a man of zero legitimate accomplishments and of entirely selfish and even treasonous influences--as our nominal "president." That sense of greatness and purpose and pride in our leadership have completely vanished. In its place is a vulgar, narcissistic man who can hardly string even two semi-intelligent words together. There is nothing he can do, nothing he can say, that will install in me even the least bit of civic or national pride.

We can be this again. Listening to President Obama give his speech in South Africa today, I realize it hasn't been all that long ago since we had type of spirit. But for now, those days seem as far off as the most distant planet in our solar system.

[lapfog_1]

1. Looking back on my career...

the decade I spent at NASA was the most rewarding time of my life.

Not monetarily... I had offers to go to the private sector in silicon valley and make more money (and, with stock options, potentially millions of dollars)... but I stayed at NASA.

I remember walking out of my facility at night (often I worked late into the night) and looking up at the moon and think "yeah, I work for the organization that put people there"... a dream of mine since I was 10 and watched the first moon landing (of course then I wanted to be an astronaut... not just one of the "cogs in the machine" that makes space flight possible).

It was the best thing I ever did... and I had a lot of fun doing it.

[kairos12]

2. I agree with your post. NASA's achievements are truly stupendous and will pass

the test of historical significance. On a somewhat related note I often pass by the Hoover dam and wonder at its construction. It makes me sad that our country no longer has the national political will to spend its resources on truly great projects.

Brought to us by the tax cuts above all else crowd.

Makes me retch.