Let's be honest here, folks. The main reason for the push to send humans to "the Moon, Mars, and Beyond" is for national prestige. Heck, by the time it actually happens we may also be doing it to beat the Chinese in a 21st Century Space Race.

But is space science going to lose out in the process? Looks like it has already started based on this news item. And what happens if when a new Presidential Administration takes over and trashes everything the current admin has started - all in the name of saving money, of course. Think Nixon and the 1970s.

The worst case scenario is that we end up having neither machines nor humans exploring other worlds and space science is set back for years. Judging by the public attitude these days, science cannot afford to lose any ground.

Ask yourselves: Can a human really do that much more than a machine on an alien world, especially in the next few decades? It certainly won't be cheaper. And one accident that kills a manned crew and goodbye deep space exploration.