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Larry Klaes of Arlington, MA, asks:
Now that the Cold War is supposedly ending, what else can
replace it to get us onto the Moon again in person and on
to Mars? And beyond? Thank you.
Haynes Johnson, journalist and author, responds:
Absent another international crisis, or new "Cold War" that Americans believe threatens their survival, I see no single factor that will recommit the nation to the kinds of massive economic spending that began with Sputnik and continued on through the manned space program, including, of course, the landing on the moon.
But I do believe that the new technology--the computer, the Internet and beyond--plus a generation coming of age with the exploration of space will continue to want to press for further efforts, We still believe in new frontiers, and cliché though it may be, none is greater than space.
Dr. Keith Benson of the History of Science Society responds:
My personal opinion is that "cooler" and more rational
perspectives should prevail and future space exploration should be done by
robotics. There is no real justification for placing humans in space
other than to state that we can do it. We can learn as much or more about
space with remote sensing devices, various optical instruments, and
robotic roving vehicles--all at a fraction of the cost (the rocketry needs
to be much smaller) and at a fraction of the risk.
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