NASA’s recent announcement that it plans to accelerate development of a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030 sparked debate online, but for me it instantly recalled my first day at the space agency and why such bold missions are vital to America’s future.
I had barely set foot in my NASA office in 2019 when a colleague knocked on the door and handed me his cellphone.
“Who is it?” I whispered as I reached for the phone.
“It’s Buzz Aldrin,” he said.
My mind began to race. It was my first day at NASA – why would the second man to walk on the Moon want to talk with me?
As soon as I said “hello,” Aldrin jumped into explaining the hazards of the early Apollo program, what the Moon’s regolith looks like up close, and the reverent, triumphant feeling that overcame him as he set foot on the lunar surface with Earth’s blue sphere suspended in the dark sky above.
It was a brief conversation, one I later learned he did as a favor to my colleague who thought it would help me in my new job.
I had just been hired as a speechwriter for the NASA Administrator. My primary responsibility was to help explain to the nation why spending precious American taxpayer money on space exploration is critical for our country’s future.
But as a conservative and born skeptic of big government spending, I had reservations. Is it really fiscally responsible to invest billions in space when the nation is running historic deficits? Does NASA really benefit everyday Americans, or is it a luxury of a bygone era?
Those are fair questions. Many Americans justifiably have the same reservations now.
Over time, though, I went from skeptic to supporter of heavy investment in space. I started making the conservative case for NASA to anyone who would listen.
Critics of the plans of Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy (who also serves as Secretary of Transportation) to devote more resources to space exploration argue the funds should go to other priorities. But this isn’t an either/or proposition.
History shows that America’s race to the Moon in the 1960s did far more than plant a flag and stick it to the Soviets; it launched an era of innovation that still defines modern life. The Apollo program’s technical demands drove breakthroughs in agriculture, clean water, weather forecasting, and drought relief. NASA provided the vision and seed investment, while private industry partners turned those discoveries into products and industries that benefit Americans every day.
This proven model has kept the United States at the forefront of global innovation. Integrated circuits developed for Apollo helped spark the computer revolution. A NASA imaging processor later enabled the compact cameras in our smartphones. Technologies born from the American space program became indispensable in modern life.
The same is true today. Developing a small nuclear fission reactor for the Moon will give America a decisive scientific edge just as public support for nuclear energy reaches new highs. Compact, reliable reactors designed for the lunar surface will accelerate advances in small modular reactors on Earth, providing clean, affordable power, strengthening the grid, and reducing dependence on unstable foreign suppliers.
Far from science fiction, this technology will enhance American energy independence while pushing the boundaries of engineering.
Unlike the Apollo astronauts’ brief stays on the Moon, NASA’s new Artemis Program will establish a base camp on the Moon to help us learn how to live on another celestial body before going to Mars.
Much like the first space race, there is also a geopolitical urgency to NASA’s Moon mission. China and Russia signed a deal earlier this year to work together in building a nuclear power station on the lunar surface. If America doesn’t lead, our adversaries will. The question is not whether humanity will establish a permanent presence on the Moon, but who will set the standard for how it is done.
These missions are more than scientific exercises; they are symbols of American identity. President John F. Kennedy declared in 1962: “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.” President Donald Trump echoed that spirit in 2020, reminding Americans that we are, at our core, a nation of explorers.
As Trump put it in his Inaugural Address this year, “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars… The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts.” He is right.
History shows that nations who keep exploring thrive, while those who stop wither on purpose and fall to more ambitious rivals.
Moreover, for all the justified concerns about spending, NASA’s budget amounts to barely one-half of one percent of federal spending. A small investment with enormous returns.
What Aldrin told me on my first day at NASA wasn’t any different from what you can read in a mission report. But the pride and courage in his voice reminded me why Americans have always defied limits to achieve the impossible. Our generation must now summon that same indomitable spirit to push into the unknown, expand knowledge, build new industries, and secure our future.
That is why President Trump, pioneers like Buzz Aldrin, and voices like mine urge you to support NASA’s bold missions. They are not just about space. They are about what it means to be an American.
W.J. Lee has served in the White House, NASA, on multiple political campaigns, and in nearly all levels of government. In his free time, he enjoys the “three R’s” – reading, running, and writing.
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