I vaguely remember when the first space orbiting satellite was launched from planet Earth. It was sent up by the then Soviet Union and the year was 1957. It rattled Americans that another country, and a totalitarian one at that, had beaten us into the "Final Frontier." The result of all this was a space race culminating in the United States putting a man on the moon in 1969; and then building and flying a reusable "Space Shuttle" system that would be the world's workhorse for manned space flight from its first launch in 1981 until it finishes its operational flights this year.

And now there will be nothing. The United States has no approved or funded plan to return to manned space flight. Indeed, we will be relegated to renting rides on Russian spacecraft (assuming they will let us!) just to get to the orbiting space station that we built. Manned space flight by the United States is indeed the "Forgotten Frontier."

So, why should we care? Many say that there are too many social programs to be funded and, of course, these are tough recessionary times. Among the bail out programs, entitlement programs, expanding health care programs, and two wars (the list goes on and on), there is simply no money, desire, or capability left to fund something as trivial and useless as manned space flight. This argument is carrying the day in Washington, and, because of it, beginning in 2011 the United States will be out of the manned space flight business.

Interestingly, in 1961 when President Kennedy announced that the United States would send a man to the moon and return him safely to the United States during the decade, things were not really much different then than they are now. The financial and human costs of World War II and Korea were still very fresh in everyone's minds and pocketbooks, America was just emerging from a recession, the government was spending money it did not have (deficit spending), and America felt overwhelmed by the perceived march of communism across the globe. Nonetheless, Kennedy acted and he acted decisively.

As a result of Kennedy's visionary stance, America not only won the manned space race, but the technological spin-offs from the Manhattan like Apollo and follow-on Shuttle programs have been monumental. Not only did these programs provide thousands of professional and highly technical job opportunities for Americans, they also transformed our schools into technical, mathematical and scientific powerhouses in the '60s and '70s.

The technologies developed in the manned space program have "spun off" into our private sector to create an incredible array of modern day marvels, which in themselves have produced countless technologically and industrially advanced jobs for Americans. And, of course, when we were on top of the manned space world, we had enormous pride in ourselves and in the worthiness of a democratic and free America. It was like winning the technological Super Bowl every time a new manned space record was set by American men and women.

Now there will be nothing. Nothing except hitching rides on the backs of the Russians.

Today, our nation is for sure in a bit of trouble. With our two wars, economic troubles, and incredible governmental deficit spending on everything from social, entitlement, and pork barrel projects, our nation, our society, and our way of life seem to potentially be heading into the dark. Only visionary leadership will show us the way out of this mess and into a prosperous future.

One of the visionary paths must be an aggressive return to manned space flight. The President should announce and the Congress should support the United States' successfully landing a manned expedition on Mars by 2030 and returning it safely to our land. Shift government bail-out funds from the lost sink-holes many of them currently go into, and commit those and future funds to revitalizing our technological and scientific base and educational system in support of the manned spaceflight enterprise. Our nation has always responded to inspired and visionary leadership, and we can again. It's the best way out of the current malaise in which we find ourselves.

In 1969 a young Army second lieutenant and his wife sat in a very hot house trailer in Radcliff, Kentucky (next to Ft. Knox) and literally pounded their chests with pride when they saw Neil Armstrong on TV do the impossible. He walked on the moon. We were the greatest country on Earth and we had just proved it. Nothing could stop us from being the world's greatest society again, since we had last demonstrated it coming out of WW II.

My hope and indeed prayer is that on a glorious day in the year 2029 my granddaughter and her family will look into their flat panel displays and see an American man or woman walk on the surface of Mars. And, with screams of pride they will announce to anyone in shouting distance that America, our Constitution, and indeed our people represent the greatest country on the planet, and that our nation remains the greatest hope for man and womankind.

General (Retired) B. B. Bell
bbbell12@yahoo.com