"I think with the Cold War done it becomes a time to help put the world, overall, in better shape than it is. Until this happens more constructively, we shouldn't even consider wasting valuable resources on outtaspace money."
I don't really care too much about putting the world in better shape, for the most part the world would prefer we just leave them alone.
I think the government, in addition to providing the necessary services (defense, roads etc.) should also try to do things that inspire people. The Apollo program did that in a big way, and I think a Mars trip would do the same.
Much like during the Apollo period, the U.S. is faced with a war where victory and defeat are hard to define. Where the prospect of a horrible death is something people are going to have to learn to live with (back then it was bomb shelters and nuclear annihilation, now it's code orange, dirty bombs, anthrax and planes used as bombs).
A Mars program would give people something to look forward to, make the evening news a little less depressing to watch. |
