Even here on this site, Many threads about NASA get stupidified by small-minded people who are against space exploration

but publikans insist we are.

We don't get behind a goal that transcends daily interests.

We've become venal.

But I misspeak. We haven't become venal. We've granted the venal ruling privileges. As a kid in the '60s and early '70s I was inspired by the moon missions. Soyuz was the "enemy's" but still inspiring--we should have done it.

My mother, however, ran a running, daily commentary about the extravagance of the moon mission. Why focus on things beyond humans when there were humans that needed attention?

In my mother's case it was mostly, "Dammit, I need services and help, and others like me need services and help. Anything that doesn't help me and mine is unnecessary and wasteful." Then again, for her it was always about respect shown her, honor she could get, and, when push comes to shove, money. If she had less than somebody else, it was a crime. There were lots such people. "Guns vs butter" was how it was put, with NASA somehow being "guns" because it didn't provide that many jobs. (Of course it did, venality is as often due to stupidity as it is to greed.)

I keep trying to teach my students that when you strive for an A you miss the point. As you study, your goal is to learn as best you can. That's the goal. If you focus on that, you'll probably be an excellent student. You can focus on getting an A and do so, but often not really understand it. It's a hollow kind of excellence, an excellence primarily in name.

So with national honor and glory. Lamenting lost first-place status is a loser's game. Worrying about it is a waste of time and effort. It's petty minded. Go for the gold: if you don't make it, you didn't distract from doing your best. If you do make it, it's a nice accolade besides the really important thing, actual success.