Chris writes: It is notable when you quoted my text you did not reply to the actual meat of the contents. Anyway, you do the very things you accuse me of doing.

Ed wrote: When confronted with facts, their reaction is either
1) to ignore them, or
2) respond with invective.

Chris writes: 1) As in your not answering the questions put to you about your 1 in 7 statistic and your contention that as folks see more of Mars they become less inclined to send humans to Mars.

2) "Interrupting the circle jerk once again" and "Mars Nuts"

Not being rude and answering questions put to you should be realitivly simple things to do.

Ed wrote: Seceond, I am not trying to marginalize you: You already are marginal; I am merely pointing it out.

Chris writes: This is why you call science done by those you claim to admire as "Cargo Cult" and describe those you claim to admire as "Mars Nuts," the same folks who have PhDs and have papers in peer reviewed journals. If we are marginalize how is it that our ideas are read into the congressional record. How is it when polled folks say they want manned exploration of Mars in the majority? Anyway, when have you ever had your ideas placed in the congressional record or some place as prominent and by whom?

I finded it hard to believe you admire Zubrin as you, as Mary points out elsewhere, kill him off in your childrens website.

Ed wrote: Finally, you "Mars Enthusiasts" don't have the votes to do manned Mars flight right now - but we can get the votes to build lunar telescopes to find the next comet or small asteroid well before it hits - and hopefully that will keep the manned flight infrastructure in place until either 1) the costs of manned Mars flight falls, or 2) the public demand for manned Mars flight rises.

Chris writes: I don't believe "we" have the "votes" to build a Moonbase costing billions of dollars for the sole purpose of detecting possible impactors. Nor could "we" get the votes. I would contend that the public already do support manned Mars exploration, but that their support is not requirement to have the president and congress set the USA's space agenda. Anymore than it is required for them to build another new fighter system or another aircraft carrier. NASA is slowly spinning into the ground it needs a new agenda and Mars is better than a Moonbase for all kinds of reasons, not least of which is we have already done the Moon.