When asked to explain why it is important to support space, we are ready to reply with all the politically correct answers. They always seem to include that Space Exploration is inspirational, that it inspires our society to be better than it can be. Exploring space advances knowledge, inspires our children to pursue math and science in school. Space promotes international cooperation, and has many valuable spin-offs, like Velcro.

These are all good reasons, but most voters don't really care about how Velcro has improved their lives. For Space to become important to them, the concept must be communicated in local terms. There are many deserving needs in a community, and it is important to explain why money should be invested in Space, instead of fighting crime or helping the homeless.

NASA makes available to the public where it spends it's 13.5 billion budget, subdivided by state and congressional district. The money is not spent in Outer Space or Washington. It does not just go to the states that have NASA centers. The budget is distributed to hundreds of towns and cities across the country and in every state.