I wouldn't go so far as saying it was appalling, but it was in bad taste. No one doubts Americans are ahead of everyone else in terms of science and exploration

I wouldn't go so far as saying it was appalling, but it was in bad taste. No one doubts Americans are ahead of everyone else in terms of science and exploration, so they certainly deserve to celebrate however they want, but science and exploration are beautiful and inspirational because they're borderless and bring humanity closer, even if it's for a short moment. I'd have preferred them not to chant U-S-A and wave flags during the flyby, because that short moment is at its peak when the flyby is happening and everyone around the world share the same curiosity and happiness by watching the stream live, but if that's the way they want to celebrate, that's the way they're gonna celebrate. They deserve it. On a side note: I completely disagree with people who compare this to the World Cup or the Olympics. The whole idea of those competitions are nations competing with each other and science and exploration is not about the achievement of one particular nation, rather the advancement of humanity. None of this means that we should take any credit from NASA or the American tax payers. Everyone should be thankful and I am.