On Jul 3, 10:42*am, Michael Gallagher wrote:
What happened to our
drive to explore? *DID WE EVER HAVE IT?

No. Immense amounts of money were spent on the Apollo program because
the United States desperately needed to demonstrate to countries like
India, Indonesia, Brazil, and so on, in a way comprehensible to their
masses, not just their elites, that America was ahead technologically,
not Russia.

No such reason exists today. An American on Mars will not dampen the
ability of al-Qaeda to recruit one bit.

Of course, if technology continues to improve, and budget schemes like
that of Zubrin are sound, it might be necessary for the United States
to send a man to Mars before China does. Or North Korea.

Americans do have a drive to explore... but not _quite_ enough drive
to make them interested in paying for something like Apollo through
their taxes. I can't blame them, although I don't see private
enterprise filling the gap.

John Savard