Re: Kerry criticizes Bush's space vision

From: Mark (mmaker_at_my-deja.com)
Date: 06/17/04 

Date: 17 Jun 2004 04:08:31 -0700

spacelearner@hotmail.com (spacelearner) wrote in message news:<ac72f982.0406162136.28a3fa8f@posting.google.com>...
> Only machines have been sent not humans correct, therefore, this does
> nothing to excite people about space

Back in the real world, people were so excited about Apollo 17 that 18
to 20 were cancelled. The problem with manned spaceflight spectaculars
is that after you've seen one person walk on the moon, you've seen
them all... so why do it again?

At least every robot probe sent out brings us something new, and at a
much, much lower cost than sending humans.

> nor does it contribute anything
> worthwhile to the average person on the street.

It contributes far more than sending a few government bureaucrats on a
hugely expensive one-off trip, thereby ensuring that future manned
trips will be much harder to sell. As much as I like playing Apollo
sims, the reality is that it was a disaster for manned spacelight, as
it removed any incentive to create a sustainable and cost-effective
way to put people on the moon.

    Mark

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