You're getting close to the only thing that might turn around our moribund manned space program -- a renewed arms race with a powerful competitor (China).
I don't think that it would be too much of an exaggeration to call the Moon Program (Mercury/Gemini/Apollo) a public flight demonstration program of Cold War ballistic missile technology. IOW's, an acceptable way to threaten the Russians (& they us) and impress the non-aligned countries with our power. Yes, the Saturn V was not really a weapon of war, but the Redstone & Atlas rockets were essentially man-rated versions of liquid-fuelled ICBM's. The Russian R7 was also an ICBM pressed into service to carry humans into space.
If China makes it to the Moon, then maybe NASA will get serious about Mars & the asteroid belt beyond.
Wishful thinking. The United States will not return to the Moon for at least 35-50 years, if ever. We will not go to Mars. Ever
This is assuming democrats complete their attempt at absolute control of the United States and rename us the United Socialist States of Amerika.
Good points, and for years I thought the space race was J F’n Ks attempt to divert attention from growing racial problems in America.
The riots in 1967 showed that it didn’t work.
The Great Society spending of 1968 showed that folks could be bought off, at least for a while.
And now, our cities are in a slow motion riot 24/7.