Scientists may debate whether Mars is a world that might have once harbored life. With the connection between Mars and the search for extraterrestrial life firmly made, we can build an exploration program that admits the goal of human exploration and prepares for it, without having to commit big dollars now. Let's set up a robotic Mars outpost on a site chosen to be the first human base for Mars, and let's have the whole world, including the general public, share in the exploration and development of this first extraterrestrial outpost. If it is not yet time, at least our space program will have a purpose that we can again be proud of, than can again represent an advancement of humankind. It is ironic that so many countries have joined together to construct a space station with a collective self-delusion about its value, as they cut off its future.
Space is a symbol of our aspirations as well as a manifestation of our abilities.
We need to link both to a worthwhile goal. As a symbol, Yuri Gagarin has transcended who he was as a man and his individual accomplishments, great though they might have been. He was the first human to leave the cradle of Earth and its cocooning atmosphere. The anniversary of his flight is worth a few minutes thought about the evolution of humankind and our future place in a vast universe. All rights reserved.