Quote:
Originally Posted by casstony
If the US space program is scaled down 'we' all lose and vice versa. We're increasingly becoming citizens of the world and I like to minimize the barriers that separate people, including nationalism. Building a permanent presence on Mars is a grand idea that can excite and unite people and give them something to focus on other than the fictional enemies our politicians create for us.
I'd rather see the Chinese succeed than have nobody pushing out into space; I only hope they shift toward a fairer form of government at some stage.
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I think of the budget cuts as a blessing in disguise. No one nation could nor should bare the burden of exploring the solar system and beyond. Without the ready cash flow NASA will have to get funding else where and I mean by cooperation with other nations to achieve their goal. This will give them a freedom they have never had and release them from the whims of congress. I too support the idea of a "world citizen " but see current nationalistic ideologies of countries like the US, China and Russia as a major barrier to the concept becoming a reality. Here is a chance for those barriers to be dismantled a little and that is only ever going to be a good thing.
Mark