While reading last Friday's paper, the first section I read of Darts & Laurels criticized Newt Gingrich for wanting to colonize the moon. I wholeheartedly acknowledge that a colony of thousands of American citizens on the moon would be an utter waste of taxpayer dollars.
However, I commend the former Speaker of the House for his good old-fashioned American ambition and desire to advance in an area that has lead to many influential innovations.
Today's America lacks what made us a world power so many years ago: ambition.
In 1962, John F. Kennedy spoke of his intentions of traveling to the moon, saying, "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
At a time when we had just sent our first astronaut into space and were lagging far behind the Soviets, this was a bold statement by the president, one which would come to define an era of rapid American and human progression.
In 1969, when the Apollo 11 mission became the first successful moon landing, technology in the guidance computer of the Saturn V launch paled in comparison to that of a modern toaster. Yet it was enough to land Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong on our nearest natural satellite. More than 39 years after the final moon landing of Apollo 17, we have yet to return to the moon and have no solid plans in the works to go back or beyond. This raises the question: Are we still a powerful and ambitious nation that can return to the moon and ultimately explore the vast expanse of space?
The simple answer is no.
Unfortunately, our propensity to bicker has not only resulted in the regression of our space program but also our society as a whole. Back in the 1960s, the economy was a well-oiled machine. The government was investing in intrepid endeavors and inspiring citizens. Children were aspiring to be the next Alan Shepard or Buzz Aldrin.
I guarantee you our parents' and grandparents' expectations for space exploration far outshined our actual achievements.
Pop culture has been enamored with the idea of space for decades; it provided us a vehicle to display our grandiose vision.
Series such as "Star Trek" envisioned interstellar space travel by the 23rd century. However, current trends have left us visionaries doubtful. Our culture has left these once well-received ideas in a state of decay.
Before you argue that we have more pressing matters to invest in, consider that the worldwide space budget is $38 billion, compared to the military budget of $2.1 trillion.
Far more money is spent destroying civilization than advancing it. Inspiration will ultimately lead to the exploration of what lies beyond, what the brilliant Carl Sagan referred to as our "pale blue dot," a "lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark." Sagan provided great wisdom in preaching, "For all our failings, despite our limitations and fallibilities, we humans are capable of greatness."
The next chance you get, I challenge you to look up into the night sky.
You will see a single crumb of the pie that is the universe. Every star you see is contained within our Milky Way Galaxy. Beyond that are billions of other galaxies stretching across 13 billion light years.
With the enormity of our universe in mind, imagine the places we could one day go and the amazing discoveries we could make. Then, and only then, tell me that Gingrich's ambition is absurd.
Jordan Claar is a mechanical engineering junior at UF.
