Craig Davidson wrote:


You do know that Spirit and Opportunity are unmanned spacecraft? With your
rant about dangers to crews I wasn't quite sure you knew that.

I am quite aware that they are unmanned. They are also second rate
vehicles which cost nearly a half-billion apiece and who useful
scientific yield is dubious. How will knowing whether bacteria ever
lived on Mars promote the General Welfare and Defend the Republic
against enemies foreign and domestic.

If a private company, raising its own capital wants to build survey
vehicles to scope out the planet, I say more power to them. It is their
money and their risk. But NASA is using MY money for a goal that I do
not share.

Here is the answer: Privatize. The only thing the Gummint has any
business spending your money and mine on, is national defense.


I wonder if they said that about Christopher Columbus. He lied you know.
Never did bring back spices from India. What a waste of dollars that could
be better spent in Spain. (or was it Portugal?)

Chris's voyage was funded by money stolen from Jews kicked out of Spain
in 1491, the year before. In short, Chris sailed on Loot. It so happened
that the voyage paid off for many. I fail to see how a voyage of men to
Mars can plausibly be thought to pay off for the rest of us. At least
NASA is not promising to bring back gold and spice.

By the way, Chris Baby sold the voyage on the grounds he was going to
China and India (as in Indies). He lied knowingly about the
circumference of the earth (Erathosthenes figure that out around 200
B.C.E). His voyage was a fraud that just happened to pay off. I cannot
see how a manned voyage to Mars can pay off (for those who can, let them
fund the effort with ThEIR money, not MINE), nor can I say any first
rate science coming out of his paltry un-manned mission (nearly one half
billion dollars per golf cart. Good God!).

Bob Kolker