I’ve been dreaming of space since I was a little kid. I’m an avid science fiction fan, and like most kids of my generation I grew up immersed in Star Wars and the attendant fantasies of galactic exploration. Given this it may be a surprise to hear that I am not a fan of the recently announced Mars initiatives. I recognize to some extent the power of a dream and the positive effects the moon landings had on our culture. I don’t think you can pull the same trick twice though. While landing men on Mars would be an amazing achievement, it’s not going to have the same impact that the original moon landings did. Our interests would be better served continuing to use robotic missions to explore the solar system.
I do agree with the need to retire the shuttle fleet and move to a new launch vehicle however, and getting a permanent colony started on the moon is a fantastic idea. Not as a stepping stone to Mars mind you, but to the asteroid belt, where (supposedly) the real treasure is to be found.
Like most critics of the Bush Junta I am suscpicious that this is all really just about military expansion though. Who else can get launch vehicles onto the moon and start a moon base? Who could challenge the authority of a power that could drop an asteroid on you from space with absolute impunity, and knock your communications system out of the sky should you cross us? I’m sure from the Neocon perspective this sort of move makes perfect sense. I suspect like with the WMD/al qaeda = iraq misconceptions the American public holds, this will remain almost completely off everyone’s radar until its become a fait accompli. Assuming my cynical paranoia pans out that is, and assuming congress agrees to fund this, which at this point actually seems fairly unlikely.
Dave's Place/Metamusing 
Well put. Add to that, NASA being a civilian gov’t agency ( on the surface) almost all astronauts are military officers. So, when it comes time to plant people on the moon, they will almost all be military. Except for some scientists, the operation will be run by and manned by the military.
What the hell is the point of landing on Mars anyway? Photo op? Yup, it is a red planet. Huge waste of resources that could be better used gearing up a real moon colony, not just a military outpost.
The shuttle replacment is a challenge. They have ideas, but it is going to be one costly venture replacing the shuttle. I bet they don’t even have that part done by 2015, never mind a moon colony.
That being said, I am going to try and groom my nephews towards engineering and science, plant it in their heads that they could possibly live and work on the moon. I think for our generation, we will have to dream about it. Too bad for us.
We should have had a space station that didn’t suck and fall back to earth by 1979, and a lunar outpost by 1989. Colony by 1999. 10 year plans. It could have been done. Instead we waste our time dicking around planetside wasting $$ for no reason and no return.
Peace in the middle east? We will never see it.
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Can I get a Millenium Falcon here damnit !! I want to take a trip !
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quick points: I agree that getting a shuttle replacement going in the timeframe they’ve suggested seems unlikely. I also agree that we’ve squandered time and resources when it comes to the space program. No one remembers that from Kennedy’s original ‘lets get men on the moon’ came a plan to have a permanently manned moonbase by the early 70’s. It’s a shame, a real shame.
To be honest part of me actually wishes they would invest the resources into seeing if a space elevator
http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_elevator_020327-1.html
can actually be made to work.
As for your nephews, good luck. You could also point them at intellectual property law, they’re more likely to make cash that way 😉
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