Final Launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis

11:26 am ET, Friday 8 July 2011

In about two weeks, ever how long this final mission lasts, the United States will no longer have an active manned space program. That is something I never thought I would see. I've said it before, I'll say it again. When a nation turns its back on its frontiers, it inevitably goes into decline. The Roman Empire is the best example. When Roman expansion ended, about the time the Empire was proclaimed, it was only a matter of time.