Logan Kearsley wrote:

Hardly. Possibly the OP wants space handed to him on a silver
platter,

Um, no. Where do you get such an idea? Nowhere have I stated such an
expectation or even *implied* it. Quite the opposite, in fact. As I've
already stated, I don't expect *anything* to be handed to me, on or off
a silver platter.

although I'd be more ready to ascribe his comments to a bit of
overenthusiasm.

How so?

I'd *like* space handed to me on a silver platter- heck, who
wouldn't?- but I'm perfectly willing to work for it, just as soon as
I
figure out exactly what to do.

Well, according to Brenda Clough's original argument, *no one* would
want to explore space. Or any other frontier. That is, unless they
could make money doing it, or please God and Country. IOW, Brenda
believes that people do not explore to explore; that no one is truly
fascinated with the unknown. Apparently, in her strange universe,
people must read scifi simply to pass time; a desire to vicariously
explore other worlds has nothing to do with it! According to several
others here, only a tiny percentage of people (if that) have the urge
to explore. For 99.9% of people, say these naysayers, a desire to
explore simply does not exist. It's not me who is overenthusiastic.
It's these naysayers who lack *any* enthusiasm. They're dead inside.