An absolutely amazing video using audio from Carl Sagan's The Pale Blue Dot.

The person responsible for this video created it as a sort of ad campaign for NASA, according to the description on YouTube. And why would one do that, you ask? It's simple, really. When was the last time you saw an advertisement of any kind for the space program? Okay, so that doesn’t exactly answer the question, but the problem here is that NASA needs some way to generate public interest in the space program again. With Obama's recent funding cuts to NASA, it's no surprise that people that actually give a crap about the whole idea of exploring space and whatever may be hidden out there are doing things like this to make the point clear that NASA needs to step up their game. The whole idea is that if people were once again interested in NASA and the space program again, if they were aware again, then the funding would increase.

All of this brings up another question: why bother with the space program? Now I could be a moron and say “Why not?” but that doesn’t do much for my case. Rewind to the last century, before America became enthralled with a controversial “war on terror” that has eaten a massive chunk of the US budget. A thriving space program allowed for the betterment of our lives here on the ground thanks to the countless satellites that provide a vast array of telecommunications services to us. GPS, worldwide television broadcasts, long-distance calling, and Internet to those in areas too remote to receive a traditional wired connection. And let’s not forget weather forecasts. Now, not all of this came directly from NASA or any other government funded space program, but had they not pioneered the rocket technology required to get into space, most of these now taken-for-granted services would be dramatically different, if not unavailable.

A mere decade since that last century, the space program and how it contributes to our lives has changed drastically. With NASA funding heavily cut, the possibilities are limited. And while there are other space programs in the world, none are as extensive as NASA, as a result of which, none can contribute as much as NASA has the potential to. There are always going to be people like me, who’s inner six-year-old-that-wants-to-be-an-astronaut- when-he-grows-up will feel strongly and rant on their blog about this, or like the creator of the video above who believes that NASA can do so much more. Right now, though, that’s not enough to change the funding cuts and the disinterest that governments display for space programs.