1) So, it seems an unmanned space program is more attractive, more "sexy" than a manned program?
I thought I heard the opposite so often; also that if we abandon the manned space program, it will also adversely affect the unmanned one.

2) If it were not for the international character of the space station AND ESPECIALLY the existence and use of the Soyuz spacecrafts, there would be NOBODY in space, now.

3) Columbia's flight killed 7 astronauts. Since 1971, NOT A SINGLE cosmonaut died in space or because of the Soyuz spacecraft. Sure, it didn't always work as planned; sure, sometimes the G loads were very high (18 G's), but they always came back alive.
The heat shields of all the manned capsules so far have always brought the spacemen back to Earth.

There is a very strong lesson for NASA: Capsules work.
Think about it. Capsules stay as long as humans in space (there's a new Soyuz version studied, capable of staying 1 year in space.
Capsules are safer than Shuttles; capsules are far less expensive; capsules can land or splasdown.
Capsules can carry as many spacemen as it can be designed to do.
Go for the capsules

Raoul