>>Mars is next, hopefully after a lunar exploration base is built.<<
Have you considered the possibility that China will get to Mars first?
- They will use the profits from the USA trade deficit
- US politicians sound unwilling to invest in a mission to Mars, even if we could afford it, unfortunately. We could do it but we probaly won’t.
You bet. Red China could make a big statement sending some people to Mars, in addition to learning a whole lot of new stuff. They’ll take chances we won’t do, it fact they could get lucky and make the trip before us, and actually return their people alive. If that ever happened, you can bet they’ll claim it outright.