This year is the 50th anniversary of Spaceflight. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched and orbited Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, and started what became known as the Space Race. This race effectively ended on July 20, 1969 when Aldrin and Armstrong walked on the Moon.

Since then, NASA has accomplished very little when compared to the advances made in aviation in the years following Charles Lindbergh’s New York to Paris flight. So the question must be asked, “Do we really need NASA?”