One of the worst things the Obama administration did was to withdraw us from the Space Shuttle program. The last shuttle flight was launched on July 8, 2011 and landed at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011.  Effectively, the decision to end the program turned all near space operations over to the Russians.  All transport of American Astronauts to the International Space Station is at the pleasure of Russia.  Should the Russians decide to withdraw that service, there is currently nothing this country can do about it, and the present  tense state of U.S. – Russian relations, makes that possibility all too probable.

Remember, Obama doubled the national debt to nearly twenty trillion dollars, and we have basically nothing to show for it but good intentions.  Currently, we are in a position where we are allowed to visit the Space Station only if the Russians permit it.  That facility could not have been constructed without the use of our Space Shuttles, which brought the majority of the materials into space, and then provided reliable transportation for replenishment of supplies and crew, also returning the station’s trash to Earth, thus becoming a space-borne garbage truck.  Recently, the Russians announced they will close down the station in 2020, four years sooner than the United States had originally planned to operate it.  They also have refused to continue to provide the engines which power the Saturn Five rockets which are used to launch our military satellites.  That is absolutely critical to our national defense, since the Russians and Chinese have been reported to be engaged in programs to develop “satellite killers”, another U.S. program which was cancelled by Obama.

We must reevaluate our priorities with regard to our near space programs.  Our national security depends on what we do in this area, and every day wasted in debating the need for near space operational superiority is a day bringing us closer to a catastrophic event. Our enemies, and there is no dearth of them, are actively planning our downfall and destruction.  The Obama administration gave them an eight year hiatus to regroup and rethink their plans.  We had better stop our partisan bickering and prioritize the most important mission our government has, the defense of our nation and the safety of our citizens.