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NASA doesn’t plan to go back to the moon until the 21st century. That’s disappointed many of us.

Spare me this starry-eyed revisionist tripe masquerading as history.

In five short years (spanning 1968 to 1973), America went from pure rapture about the moon missions to complete and utter lack of interest. Hell, the major networks didn't even bother covering the Apollo 13 mission (the third planned landing on the moon) until disaster struck! The American public simply was no longer interested.

As a consequence, the American public chose not to support further lunar exploration and Congress followed suit by cutting NASA's budget to the point that further lunar missions could not be planned or executed.

What went wrong? In a word, NASA. NASA’s mission is to develop technology. NASA really looks at each space project as an excuse to develop new technology.

Excuse me, but NASA has to develop new technology in order to accomplish its objectives. With the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, NASA had to develop mini- and micro-computers that could fit on the lunar module and lunar lander. With the STS, it had to develop a spacecraft capable of repeated use that could function in both an atmosphere and in outer space. With the Mars missions, NASA had to develop rovers that could function on solar power and withstand huge temperature fluctuations in a dry, sandy and hostile environ.

Who in their right mind thinks that such can be done WITHOUT developing new technologies?

While these ignorant idiots are talking the talk, NASA is walking the walk. Think you can do it better? Apply for a job at your nearest NASA center and show 'em how.

You tell me what's so difficult about stuffing a couple of astronauts in a rocket and launching them off to Mars.

If the risk is such an overriding factor, then perhaps we can find a retired astronaut with a terminal disease who'd relish going out in a blaze of glory.

In five short years (spanning 1968 to 1973), America went from pure rapture about the moon missions to complete and utter lack of interest. Hell, the major networks didn't even bother covering the Apollo 13 mission (the third planned landing on the moon) until disaster struck! The American public simply was no longer interested.

What you said is 100% true. The sheep are more interested in their SUVs, Survivor, and the latest developments from the Scott Peterson trial.

The masses have had shortsighted, narrow, and selfish thinking throughout history. It is up to the LEADERS to move the masses along and push them in the right direction. That's why they were elected. That's their job. We seem to have forgotten that after the Clinton era of doing whatever the latest opinion poll dictates....

This is the right thing to do.