--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were about six years when there was…" description: "\"There were about six years when there was not one American who went into space. We shouldn't do that again.\" — Buzz Aldrin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/buzz-aldrin-954_about_there-were-about-six-years-when-there-wa_1462502.jpg" --- # There were about six years when there was not one American… ![“There were about six years when there was not one American who went into space. We shouldn't do that again.” quote by Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/buzz-aldrin-954_about_there-were-about-six-years-when-there-wa_1462502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/buzz-aldrin-954_about_there-were-about-six-years-when-there-wa_1462502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/buzz-aldrin-954_about_there-were-about-six-years-when-there-wa_1462502.jpg) > “There were about six years when there was not one American who went into space. We shouldn't do that again.” [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The U.S. has not sent a person to space in six years; we should avoid repeating that gap. **In simple terms:** America hasn't sent people to space recently; we must prevent it. Key Takeaway Maintain regular human spaceflight. Themes space exploration national pride policy Mood concerned determined Type political inspirational When to use this quote - NASA planning - political advocacy - STEM education Key Concepts Space policy public funding Questions to Reflect On - What policies ensure continuous spaceflight? - How to sustain public interest? A Different Perspective Budget constraints can halt programs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-went-2252053/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Shouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-shouldn-4653936/) [Went Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-space-457257/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-american-1313382/) ## Related quotes > [My mother is American. I first went to school in America, and we came back when I was about six to rural Norfolk. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rayner/my-mother-is-american-i-first-went-to-school-in-america-and-we-came/) [Adam Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rayner/) > [“Take space. It has to be either finite or infinite, yet neither possibility sits well with our intuitions. When I try to imagine a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/take-space-it-has-to-be-either-finite-or-infinite-yet-neither/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“You want to be French, Mary Frances, that's your problem, but instead you're just another American." I went to the window for that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-want-to-be-french-mary-frances-that-s-your-problem-but-instead/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Obamas IRS is not the IRS Ive ever known for over seventy years as an American citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/obamas-irs-is-not-the-irs-ive-ever-known-for-over-seventy-years-as-an/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [“Thirty or forty years from now, the American adventures into the bowels of the Middle East will be forgotten details of a bumbling imperialism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bowden/thirty-or-forty-years-from-now-the-american-adventures-into-the/) [Charles Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bowden/) > [In a subway car, my skin would typically fall in the middle of the color spectrum. On street corners, tourists would ask me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/in-a-subway-car-my-skin-would-typically-fall-in-the-middle-of-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I had pretty much done it all before I went into space. So when the opportunity came, I went along. It was that simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-sharma/i-had-pretty-much-done-it-all-before-i-went-into-space-so-when-the/) [Rakesh Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-sharma/) > [Every person who went into the space industry did so because they looked up at the sky and were fascinated by it - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/every-person-who-went-into-the-space-industry-did-so-because-they/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [ The importance of these \[college\] years for an American cannot be overestimated. They are civilization's only chance to get to him. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/the-importance-of-these-college-years-for-an-american-cannot-be/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [In 2009 I went up on the space shuttle. I was in space for 16 days and docked at the space station for 11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-marshburn/in-2009-i-went-up-on-the-space-shuttle-i-was-in-space-for-16-days-and/) [Thomas Marshburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-marshburn/) > [Obama's IRS is not the IRS I've ever known for over seventy years as an American citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/obama-s-irs-is-not-the-irs-i-ve-ever-known-for-over-seventy-years-as/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [The first time I went into space was just so much more than you could imagine or prepare yourself for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-whitson/the-first-time-i-went-into-space-was-just-so-much-more-than-you-could/) [Peggy Whitson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-whitson/) > [My first mission was six and a half months. We weren't exactly sure how long it was going to be because I went up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunita-williams/my-first-mission-was-six-and-a-half-months-we-weren-t-exactly-sure/) [Sunita Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunita-williams/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) ## More by Buzz Aldrin > [You can never tell when a commercial space venture will suddenly become viable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/you-can-never-tell-when-a-commercial-space-venture-will-suddenly/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [A family needs to work as a team, supporting each other's individual aims and aspirations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/a-family-needs-to-work-as-a-team-supporting-each-other-s-individual/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [In space, you don't get that much noise. Noise doesn't propagate in a vacuum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/in-space-you-don-t-get-that-much-noise-noise-doesn-t-propagate-in-a/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I'm sure the most favorite airplane in my career would still be the Sabre F86 cleft wing , which allowed me to be credited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-m-sure-the-most-favorite-airplane-in-my-career-would-still-be-the/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [For every winner, there's a loser. And that person didn't really need to lose. They just didn't understand the game plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/for-every-winner-there-s-a-loser-and-that-person-didn-t-really-need/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [The society of life on Mars, or the challenge of making Mars more livable, will have significant benefits on our attempts to modify and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/the-society-of-life-on-mars-or-the-challenge-of-making-mars-more/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [Exploration is wired into our brains. If we can see the horizon, we want to know what's beyond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/exploration-is-wired-into-our-brains-if-we-can-see-the-horizon-we/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [“I believe that every human has a finite number of heart-beats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-believe-that-every-human-has-a-finite-number-of-heart-beats-i-don-t/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [There is very little doubt, in my mind, that what the next monumental achievement of humanity will be the first landing by an Earthling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/there-is-very-little-doubt-in-my-mind-that-what-the-next-monumental/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [ Weve got to go \[back to the moon\]. But we dont want to stay too long. ... The ultimate goal is Mars. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/weve-got-to-go-back-to-the-moon-but-we-dont-want-to-stay-too-long-the/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I want to keep on the move, keep stimulated and challenged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-want-to-keep-on-the-move-keep-stimulated-and-challenged/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [America can take man to the moon, and America can take men to Mars - and beyond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/america-can-take-man-to-the-moon-and-america-can-take-men-to-mars-and/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I don't believe any pair of people had been more removed physically from the rest of the world than we were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-don-t-believe-any-pair-of-people-had-been-more-removed-physically/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [We have the ability, at such high fidelity, to simulate the physical world through computers. But when the spiritual world or human behavior comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/we-have-the-ability-at-such-high-fidelity-to-simulate-the-physical/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I do celebrity ski races all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-do-celebrity-ski-races-all-over-the-world/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) [Explore all 319 Buzz Aldrin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There were about six years when there was not one American who went into space. We shouldn't do that again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Buzz Aldrin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/there-were-about-six-years-when-there-was-not-one-american-who-went/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/there-were-about-six-years-when-there-was-not-one-american-who-went/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/buzz-aldrin-954_about_there-were-about-six-years-when-there-wa_1462502.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/buzz-aldrin-954_about_there-were-about-six-years-when-there-wa_1462502.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7a/buzz-aldrin-954_about_there-were-about-six-years-when-there-wa_1462502.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There were about six years when there was not one American who went into space. We shouldn't do that again.” — Buzz Aldrin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Buzz Aldrin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There were about six years when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/there-were-about-six-years-when-there-was-not-one-american-who-went/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/there-were-about-six-years-when-there-was-not-one-american-who-went/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```