Hi Tom -

I agree, the Moon landing was a waste; but not because we went, but rather because we did not say and build on that success.

There is a false dichotomy in the statement “We have two choices. One is to save the Earth…The other is to abandon Earty…”

This is actually in Carl Sagan’s list of “Logic Pitfalls”. Sagan wrote,

excluded middle, or false dichotomy — considering only the two extremes in a continuum of intermediate possibilities (e.g., “Sure, take his side; my husband’s perfect; I’m always wrong.” Or: “Either you love your country or you hate it.” Or: “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem”)

Sagan also listed another logic pitfall:

short-term vs. long-term — a subset of the excluded middle, but so important I’ve pulled it out for special attention (e.g., We can’t afford programs to feed malnourished children and educate pre-school kids. We need to urgently deal with crime on the streets. Or: Why explore space or pursue fundamental science when we have so huge a budget deficit?).

It is not either-or. We can do many things at once. We don’t have to abandon art or music just because we want to improve the climate. We don’t have to stop having the Olympics just because other causes are more urgent.

People have different values. If it were up to me, I would prioritize space exploration over art and music, hands down. So by your logic, there would be no more art and music until we settle Mars. Luckily, I am not able to (or want to) force my values on everyone else.

Also, you wrote, “We have two choices…” — as if you are taking part in the efforts to reach and settle Mars. But you are not. It is a private endeavor. If you live in the US, then you are contributing to NASA’s Moon initiative (Project Artemis), because it is publicly funded. But SpaceX’s Mars initiative is privately funded. The only public funds it receives come from competitions which NASA sponsors. The bulk of the funding has been raised through investors.

We are not all one people, acting together like a colony of ants. We are — very fortunately — many independent people, with diverse dreams and ambitions and values. Some want to explore; others do not. And that is okay.