The damage is done. Unless there's a sudden reversal of cultural attitudes, the US has given up. The only way I see this happening is if the space race sparks another push for STEM.
Like, actual STEM. It seems like nobody has noticed but all anybody has cared about anymore is watching the stock market go up. It's no longer about the pursuit of science and technology but how that can be used to make money.
They need to land some people on the moon again. Make it a big deal about sci-fi type shit. Orbit space stations around the Earth and the moon. Make it a daily life kind of thing that the population can get engaged with.
It's apparent that people are weary of technology anymore cause all we've had is brain rot designed to extract value from us. People need to see science and technology as something hopeful again.
