It applies to civil infrastructure, where remote sensing capabilities are revolutionizing the effectiveness and slashing the costs of land-use planning and disaster response. Needless to say, it applies in spades to the military, where space-based intelligence, communication and navigation infrastructure now determine preparedness, security and, if need be, the order of battle. The economics are not in question. Humankind has been blessed with an insatiable curiosity. Americans especially, have a heritage of exploring, conquering and settling new frontiers.
Space is the final frontier.
Fortunately for humanity, it is also the limitless and unending frontier. Thus despite NASA's current difficulties, we should face the Space Millennium not with fast-food anxiety, but rather with boundless optimism and a renewed sense of wonder. Our character in meeting our failures will be at least as important as our character in times of success in determining what legacy we leave the future. We must respect the fact that the risks in space are great. But we must never forget that the rewards are even greater.