Re: New shuttle

> Mark:  It seems to me we are not yet technically
> able to justify man 
> missions.  If cars blew up when they were first
> invented and things, there 
> would have been a rethink.  If early airplanes kept
> crashing there would be 
> a rethink.  At present we're trying to run before we
> can walk.

Cars did, planes did. People died, some of them great.
Ships of exploration sunk. Explorers have died at the
hands of natives and the elements. Scientists have
died in the pursuit of knowledge. Exploration requires
a streak of adventurism and a willingness to accept
risk. They call it the unknown for a reason.

You say we need to learn to walk before we can run.
What is your definition of walking? Launching a
shuttle into space and docking with the ISS seems like
walking to me, in fact it's step back from where we
have been before. I'm not sure how you can develop
space exploration technology without testing it in
space.



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