Really?

Doesn't quite feel right... imagine...

"That's one small step for man... one giant leap for GoDaddy.com!"

Not quite as awe-inspiring (funny as HELL, but still... the government should spend SOME money on exploration, its worth it, more so than IRAQ, say... I'd rather even a bit of the Iraq money go to something not devoted to killing other folks and protecting soldiers of ours that shouldn't be in danger in a war that's studpendously pointless for us to stay in force at this point... and then some money could go to GASP! education, so our kids could learn to read a damn book! Do you know what really SCARED ME the other day at college- nearly half the folks I asked, in sort of a survey thing, had NEVER READ OR SEEN A SHAKESPEARE PLAY OR SONNET, DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE "TO BE OR NOT TO BE" WAS FROM! I mean COM ON- I know I push Shakespeare way too much somethimes, but these are COLLEGE STUDENTS! I don't care if you're an English major, a Physics major, or whatever- if you're at a college and taking college-level education, you SHOULD have at least read something by him, he's so widespread... and to put it another way: if it makes an English major like me "well-rounded" to take Albebra, and I'm forced to know it before going to college, the math students should have to have AT LEAST have read "Romeo and Juliet" or "Hamlet" or "The Merchant of Venice" or SOMETHING by him... but I digress. Wasn't this paragraph originally about space travel?)

;)

I'm with Coco too. I'm still of the opinion that government agencies should be at the forefront of space exploration. NASA may cost a lot of money but learning about the universe we live in is invaluable. I do believe that private enterprise should be involved, I just don't think we are at the point where they can take a leading role.

I think NASA was on the right track with the Constellation program and I think it was a shame to cancel it. Going back to the Moon will be the first step to going to eventually Mars, as any long term mission will probably have to be staged from somewhere with low gravity.

Not to mention that learning how to build shelter and survive on the Moon will provide the knowledge needed to set up a long-term outpost somewhere even farther away.