Warren Dew wrote:Coito ergo sum wrote:However, there is no reason why non-profitable programs, like....manned Mars missions...can't be spearheaded by government.
Sure there is. Government run programs tend to be like Apollo: big, politically popular dead ends. They go nowhere.
Apollo went to the Moon, among other things, and developed the Saturn V rocket. It was a monumental achievement, and hardly to be termed a "dead end."
Warren Dew wrote:
What we need is a slow but steady approach that leads to permanent settlement of space, not "manned exploration".
Manned exploration is necessary for permanent settlement of space. In order to settle the moon, manned missions need to go there. Private enterprise is not engaged in a steady approach to lead to permanent settlements, private enterprise is engaged in the search for profit. And, rightly so. That's what they're there for. They will do things that they can make money on, which is great. However, it's certainly a role of government (in the US) to support the sciences and the useful arts, and a space program is certainly one of those things.