Yeah but I remember reading and older space flight book from the late 1950's and they envisioned a future of first low-orbit flights, then space stations around earth, etc. and THEN in the distant future beyond that, people going to the Moon, Mars, and so forth. They never envisioned some mad-dash-to-the-moon-and-forget-about-it decade. Why would they? It would have sounded kind of nuts!
Of course, once poeple landed on the moon the pundits forecast escalation of similar events. It's human nature to extrapolate whatever is happening NOW into the most likely future. Though it almost never works.
I think what is happening now is probably more 'natural' development of space -- develop the low-earth-orbit realm first. Then, with that infrastructure in place, slowly reach out further, to the Moon, Mars, etc. Baby steps!
Sure it's slow, it's boring. But that's kind of how evolution works, and I believe the reaching into space is a stage of evolution, one that is comparable to sea creatures leaving the water to take a crack at living on the land.
And besides, sooner or later, we're just gonna go to Mars because it's there. Whatever else is going on, it'll happen sometime.
Of course, once poeple landed on the moon the pundits forecast escalation of similar events. It's human nature to extrapolate whatever is happening NOW into the most likely future. Though it almost never works.
I think what is happening now is probably more 'natural' development of space -- develop the low-earth-orbit realm first. Then, with that infrastructure in place, slowly reach out further, to the Moon, Mars, etc. Baby steps!
Sure it's slow, it's boring. But that's kind of how evolution works, and I believe the reaching into space is a stage of evolution, one that is comparable to sea creatures leaving the water to take a crack at living on the land.
And besides, sooner or later, we're just gonna go to Mars because it's there. Whatever else is going on, it'll happen sometime.
