Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Re: Red Planet Waning? Mars Society Battles Indifference to Exploration

Re: Red Planet Waning? Mars Society Battles Indifference to Exploration
Robt Clements — (archived)

Depends on the people & depends on the cost. Stripped of the romanticism, Armstrong's one small step had little sustainable effect on human consciousness; partly because he was such an automaton; partly because the project was so obviously political rather than either exploratory or truly scientific; but mostly because the enterprise was so preposterously expensive that it had no obvious click with an audience which associated the NASA agenda as much with carpet bombing Viet Nam as detente. Were the money available to send people to Mars, a war may or may not act as a distraction; but otherwise, i doubt taht there would be much real difference in the way people enthused then snoozed through the program.

Robotic space generally can't create such big moments; but it may be that the cumulative effective of small, sustained exploration that keeps to a budget has done more to enthuse people than mere human space currently can. Hard to be sure, though; & this observation won't stop pork barrellers looking for the humungous contracts only manned space can provide.

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (30 posts)