Future space exploration should be left to rich thrill seekers. That's the view of Martin Rees, Britain’s astronomer royal and a Royal Society research professor at Cambridge University’s King’s College.

In the July/August issue of Foreign Policy magazine, Rees questions the case for sending people into space. As a scientist, he's against it.

"Most of what astronauts do in space can be done better and more cheaply now by computers and robots. Each advance in robotics and miniaturization only widens the efficiency gap between man and machine in space. Circling the Earth for months on end, the International Space Station is nothing more than a huge turkey in the sky. Now that only two astronauts are aboard the craft, the pursuit of any serious projects is even less likely; most of the work will involve routine maintenance and other housekeeping tasks. And, of course, the recent space shuttle tragedy has put even this program in jeopardy," Rees writes.

The rest is here: http://www.space.com/news/rees_mars_030707.html

A minor note this guy is an astronomer, they see Hubble and say robots work fine...--Chris Vancil