Because exploration keeps us on our toes and makes us
think! We learn new things and that pushes technology and discovery.
Exploration makes our country healthier, wealthier, wiser and stronger.
Exploration improves the quality and safety of our everyday lives.
Have you ever visited Hawaii? It's a national treasure. Consider the Polynesians and how they spread out among the south Pacific on small, frail boats. I'm sure that thousands never made landfall, instead drowning or starving on the Pacific, the twinkling stars over their boats coldly ignoring their fates.
But hundreds did survive. Their legacy of adventure and bravery should inspire us all to reach out beyond the earth.