Dennis Kennedy

I have been greatly surprised by the overwhelmingly negative response I've seen from many bloggers about the proposed re-emphasis on Moon and Mars space missions. If any group would be in favor, I expected it to be bloggers in general.

The negative reaction has disappointed me. Today, however, I was cheered to see Tom Peters talk about his support of space exploration in his newsletter.

For me, no one has captured my position better than J. Michael Straczynski in Babylon 5:

"Is it worth it? Should we just pull back, forget the whole thing as a bad idea and take care of our own problems at home?"

"No. We have to stay here and there's a simple reason why. Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics and you'll get ten different answers, but there's one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on. Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us. It'll take Marilyn Monroe and Lao-Tzu and Einstein and Morobuto and Buddy Holly and Aristophenes .. and all of this .. all of this was for nothing unless we go to the stars."

- Mary Ann Cramer interviews Cmdr. Sinclair in Babylon 5: "Infection"