In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy led America in a space race against the Soviet Union. Americans and Americans across the country supported this goal, allowing NASA to make great strides in its space exploration programs. This unified nation achieved its goal and Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. However, since then, American space exploration has only declined. Funding for NASA has been significantly reduced, severely limiting the possibilities for exploring the cosmos. Understanding and exploring the universe is detrimental to the progress of the United States and opens the door to vast possibilities. If the government chooses to limit its own progress, then that responsibility must fall into other hands. Privatizing the U.S. space program will significantly enhance the capabilities of mapping the cosmos, while creating jobs for U.S. citizens and saving the government money along the way. With its crushing debt and growing unemployment rate, America needs job opportunities. Commercialized space exploration companies will already create countless jobs in maintenance, research, construction, and various other areas critical to space programs. From working in the mission control centers that would be needed to run the newly created operations to creating shuttles and other spacecraft, jobs of a wide variety would become available. These new, forward-looking businesses or branches of pre-existing businesses will open the door to enthusiastic American citizens across the country. Positions will be filled and people will help improve the future of their nation. Further expanding humanity's knowledge of the solar system and neighboring galaxies should be the platform...... middle of paper ...... works. This commercialized space program paves the way for understanding. People across the United States will advance in the global ranks, surpassing other countries in scientific literacy. Thanks to Armstrong's visit to the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission, man knows that he is not limited to Earth. As technology advances and man better understands the behavior of the universe, man will be able to take an even greater step to reach other planets in the vast expanses of space. The benefits of creating a privatized space program in America are too great to ignore. From the many jobs it would create to the reduction in government spending it would enable, commercial space travel would only help the United States. It is time for America to renew the ambition it had under President Kennedy. This small step will be a big step for the nation..