A Letter to the White House....

Dear Mr. President Obama,

It is highly improbable that you will ever read this, much less know of its existence, but if by some odd chance you do see this, I hope, that as a young American and one of the uprising generation, my opinion will not be overlooked.

My letter to you involves the topic of space travel and the way in which it is achieved. I realise that there are two ways of confronting this subject, the first being the emotional sob-story way, and the other being the hard-worn path of logic. Since I can not make up my mind which to use, I will use them both.

First, for as long as I can remember, I have held a certain fascination for outer space, and it has been a constant dream of mine to become an astronaut and some day walk on other planets. It was only recently that I discovered that not only has the future of an astronaut become a series of monotonous missions to the ISS, but that even this routine task is to become accomplished by an expensive contract with a foreign power.

Mr. President, where is the joy of exploration and the thrill of doing that which no man before has done when one is performing experiments in a crowded satellite with no assurance that the knowledge being gained will ever be put to use in the capacity it is meant for - namely, the exploration of outer space? And now, even the excitement of doing something for America is dashed in view of the fact that it is done in utter reliance upon a foreign power.

Secondly - and this view I will break up into several different points - there is the logical view. There are several components to this view, including that of national security and - on a more global scale - that of the good of humanity.

The first point, that of national security, refers back to the total dependence on foreign powers. While I am fully aware that a contract with another nation may be more cost effective, I am also aware of the risk involved in such a venture. If, and I say if, our relations with the other nation became other than friendly, not only is our entire means of transportation in outer space obliterated, but also the lives of American astronauts could be endangered, and the other nation would hold a high military advantage over us.

I say the latter because if space travel is possible, why not a moonbase? And if a nation has no qualms about breaking a contract, what is to prevent them from building a large piece of military equipment capable of firing at any point in the USA from outer space? I realise, of course, that this is a very politically incorrect possibility to discuss, but even if it is not discussed, is it wise to dismiss it as impossible?

Secondly, on the grounds of the good of humanity, it has been suggested by some that the over-population of planet Earth, or some global tragedy such as an epidemic, could threaten our home planet and make it unable to sustain life. Although I have my own reasons to believe that such a things are highly improbable, they are, nonetheless, possibilities I think a world leader ought to consider.

If such a tragedy were to occur, would it not be logical to have another place to go that the human race be preserved? And if so, then the fact remains that we need to find that place. If planet Earth were to be destroyed, the only other logical place would be another planet, and the only means of discovering such a planet and learning to survive on it is to send manned-missions to other planets and conducting experiments there.

As a Christian, which I believe you have professed to be, you must know that one of the great things about being a Christian is the assurance that such a global tragedy will not occur unless it be the will of God. You will also know, however, that as we make new scientific discoveries, we learn more about our God - His orderly organization of creation and His love of beauty. He has told us to "subdue the earth," and by delving into the mysteries of creation, on this planet and beyond, we learn more principles of the universe, and thus practical applications of those principles, thereby subduing the earth more fully.

Lastly, I appeal to your sense of national pride. America has a history of people repeatedly demonstrating perseverance and determination; it became a world power as a result. You have proven your own perseverance in many ways throughout your term in office. How can you simply sign over one of our nations greatest achievements to a foreign power and tell NASA to do something other than the space travel it was created to do?

Thank you for taking the time to read through this lengthy note, and thank you for your continued leadership of this nation. Although I personally do not agree with all of your policies and ideals, I am grateful for your efforts and will continue to pray for you.

Respectfully,