so... the Ares-1 is DEAD

Destination Mars?
And even if a good heavy lift rocket gets
built, it will take trillions more to do it right.
If not it will just be flags and foot steps in
distant dust by irradiated Spam from a can.
Now if the powerful could find resources
on Mars to strip mine, perhaps it will happen
that John Q. Public will get to pay to develop
the tech enable the action.

Now here in the States equals then in the USSR circa 1984?

Am I a pessimist, a realist, or an optimist?................Trig