As an American, NASA and our space program is a huge point of cultural pride – pretty much every American supports NASA, astronauts are universally seen as “American heroes,” ‘NASA [blank]’ is a common phrase to refer to the smartest people and most high-tech, cutting-edge equipment, and so on. Ask 100 Americans what the greatest thing America ever accomplished, the greatest thing *humanity* ever accomplished is, and odds are more people are going to say “the moon landings” than any other single thing. The respect for space even crosses national or political boundaries – even the most die-hard Cold Warriors left around, the ones who would sooner jump off a cliff than say anything good about the USSR or communism, still have grudging respect for the Soviet space program and cosmonauts.
But of course, NASA is not most countries’ space programs, and space in general is going to play a far less prominent role in most cultures. Does your country have a space program at all (either independent or part of ESA), and if so what is the public opinion of it? Is space exploration and space science something that is seen as important and valuable, or is it seen as “one of those things we leave to the superpowers?” Do you personally wish your country had more involvement in space?