re: Why a manned space program?
I'm going to do at least one speach about space in august, perhaps more and I just can't use the Mars argument because it's too far, too expensive (and out of time reach for my generation) and especially if we can't either go and stay in space or on the Moon, we won't go to Mars.
Perhaps as in the article, stunts can't last, but we might need more of them to find the right way to go up there. Once the right way is found, then it won't be a stunt but a routine travel. But then, routine will mean lack of interest from a large part of the space community, too.