[Mulder]

IMHO, it's time to review the US Space Program. Since the shuttles first flew 20 years ago, little has been accomplished with regards to "advacing the final frontier". The two biggest US space accomplishments have been landing man on the moon, and operating a launch vehicle that can orbit the earth, dock with a space station, and launch payloads. So what comes next? There doesn't even appear to be an objective.

In the last decade or so, manned shuttle missions have had more to do with "getting the first (fill in the blank) in space" than anything else. This has been at the expense of other items, such as a space plane (there was a thread here yesterday on that), a manned Mars mission, or a permanent moon base.

There are pros and cons to each of these objectives, but there must be some alternative to using 20+ year old technology to explore space.

[RadioAstronomer]

little has been accomplished with regards to "advacing the final frontier".

Not true. The interplanetaries, solar observatories, space telescopes, and earth orbiting science missions (such as COBE, GRO, AMPTE, SOHO, ICE, Giotto, Hubble, Magellan, the Voyagers, the Pioneers, Viking, etc.) have advanced our knowledge tremendously.

[Zebra]

I agree with a lot of things in your post but believe that a number of crucial objectives remain. Principal of these is space-based intelligence and military support for terrestrial operations and defense. The next arms race will almost certainly occur in space (it is, in fact, occurring), as technology that allows for the killing of satellites (with hit to kill or EMP technologies) or disruption of communications will allow terrestrial superiority.

We cannot abandon the space program. We can and must make it as safe for manned activities as possible. This means constant oversight, inquiry and, when avoidable disaster occurs, accountability.