Ah - you're just a realist. I'm usually more realistic myself, but I have to hope. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Seth Jarvis Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 2:11 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Happy New Year (belated) Kim, Yes, sharing costs among nations would be a good idea on a number of levels. I also absolutely agree that tax dollars would be more wisely spent on R&D for space exploration than on Blackwater and Haliburton. (But that's just my opinion.) I remain skeptical, however, that we'll ever see the level of national commitment, even with international partners, needed to marshal a half-trillion dollars for a major program of crewed exploration of Mars. We were a much more homogeneous society in the sixties, we had a much larger sense of national destiny, a much deeper anxiety and sense of urgency about our "competition" in the space race, and we weren't a tiny fraction in debt the way we are now. Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe that the benefits we would derive - financially, technologically, politically and culturally - from undertaking an ambitious Mars program would be huge and would do a great deal to unify not only Americans, but the people of all countries participating in the endeavor. That said, when I look at the political and financial landscape of the world I think that maybe we'd be smarter by concentrating on the less expensive and more politically palatable robotic missions. Seth Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.31/1128 - Release Date: 11/13/2007 11:09 AM