Re: Physicist James Van Allen Dies at 91

I think the Apollo experience basically sums it up. If you really want
to get a lot of science done, you need a manned program. That's not
because manned programs offer a better scientific return on each dollar
(for the moment I take no position on that issue), but because only
manned programs will attract large amounts of money. From the
non-scientific point of view, unmanned missions just are not in the
same league as far as flag waving, PR, geo-politics and entertainment
are concerned. Put another way, when unmanned programs are discussed,
the quantum of money involved is $100 million. Put a manned project on
the table and it's suddenly acceptable to talk about many multiples of
$10 billion. Would the US have spent anything like $25 billion in
1960s terms on exploring the moon had there been no astronauts
involved? Not a chance.

.