Xref: utzoo sci.space.shuttle:634 sci.space:5144
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ucsd!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!sdcrdcf!csun!polyslo!jmckerna
From: jmckerna@polyslo.UUCP (John L McKernan)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle,sci.space
Subject: Re: Moon or Mars? Editorial in _Air & Space Smithsonian_
Message-ID: <1782@polyslo.UUCP>
Date: 7 Apr 88 09:26:38 GMT
References: <47032@sun.uucp> <1290@hubcap.UUCP> <4076@whuts.UUCP> <1022@thumper.bellcore.com>
Reply-To: jmckerna@polyslo.UUCP (John L McKernan)
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 19
Summary: In defense of people.

In article <1022@thumper.bellcore.com> karn@thumper.bellcore.com (Phil R. Karn) writes:
>I really wish people would stop clutching at straws, looking for every
>possible application of their pet man-in-space project when many (if not
>most) of the tasks can be done far more cheaply and effectively with
>unmanned spacecraft. 

Fact 1. For as long as Homo Sapiens Sapiens has existed, we have expanded our
        range of habitation, or sought to fill uninhabited land.
Conclusion 1. Man's future is in space and on other planets.

Fact 2. A human being has more capabilities than any of his machines, by orders
        of magnitude.

It is short sighted and an oversimplification to say that people should not go
into space. Any reasonable space program requires both a strong manned and
unmanned program.


John L. McKernan.                    Student, Computer Science, Cal Poly S.L.O.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------