By Dominique Franklin | Staff Writer
By Dominique Franklin | Staff Writer
Americans should be gearing up for a bumpy election season.
Laugh out loud stories have already broken news airwaves, and they’re only bound to continue as we approach the election date of Nov. 4.
Republican nominee hopeful Newt Gingrich has created the current buzz that allows viewers to go, “huh?”
In a recent Florida Republican nominee debate, Gingrich announced his plan to have a permanent base on the moon by the end of his second term.
This proposed base, he predicts, will eventually lead to a new U.S. colony, and then probably a new state.
Americans across the country were baffled at the idea of a new colony being on the moon, especially when most Americans still can’t see how our economic position is going to improve.
Talk about being out of touch with the American public.
However, a Yahoo! news story titled “Experts say Gingrich moon base dreams not lunacy,” reveals that such an idea is not as ludicrous as many news stations make it seem.
In fact, it’s an idea that has existed largely since 1969. Up until just three years ago, the U.S. was pouring billions of dollars into that very same idea.
The cost of returning to the moon, and setting up a base is the one thing that truly keeps NASA from accomplishing such an amazing plan.
Just last year, although Obama sought to suspend the moon plan, he still asked congress to present NASA with $805 million.
Congress awarded them about half of what President Obama requested, $406 million.
Ideas have been reoccurring of further space exploration, many came much sooner than Gingrich’s idea of having a colony on the moon.
Obama asked that NASA aim toward a higher goal of being able to land humans on an asteroid, or on Mars.
Yet all of these ideas have been far too expensive for the government to expand on.
Both republican candidates and President Obama admit that furthering space exploration will have to be done on a private level.
What Newt Gingrich said was laughable at first, but looking into it more will definitely reveal some merit.
With the space program having being shrunk, Florida has seen an evaporation of thousands of jobs that were once promoted by NASA, and funded by the federal government.
It makes sense that Newt would choose that state to make his remarks.
Another voyage to the moon has never been a bad idea.
John F. Kennedy deciding that America was going to go to the moon spawned huge advantages for our country.
Ingenuity had to increase remarkably, a task that we are still working on today.
People who were divided came together for a cause, and celebrated briefly for one triumphant moment in American history; a task that still needs to be accomplished today.
Scientists have admitted that while a colony on the moon is slightly farfetched, setting up a base is not such a bad dream.
This information is not new either. A plan has been revolving in NASA for over 40 years.
A government committee at the time suggested that NASA first create a winged, reusable space shuttle. Accomplished.
Next, they suggested that a space shuttle be created. Almost completed. Finally a base be established on the moon. Why not continue with the plan?
Of course the obstacle of funding will always linger.
However, the advantages could out weight the costs.
More jobs will be created; the U.S. will once again be seen as the beacon of ingenuity, science, and engineering to the world. It will once again give Americans something to truly be proud of, just as it did in 1961.
While I personally hate to admit it, Newt Gingrich’s idea of returning to the moon and creating an outpost has some merit.
It’s an idea that has been in the works before he made his speech to Florida, and it’s an idea that should continue to be expanded on.
Had he not mentioned the bit about setting up a colony, and going on to try and include the moon as being a U.S. state, his idea may not have been laughed at so hard.
Besides Newt, shouldn’t we make Puerto Rico a state before deciding to colonize and statehood the moon.
Just an idea.