This article unintentionally explains why space exploration should be a private endeavor — not a government one. Government endeavors are subject to politics, and any failure is a political black eye. Space exploration needs an enduring commitment — if we want to go anywhere to stay. We can’t be wimps who see setbacks are failures.

Any time one pushes the envelope, there are setbacks along the way. During exploration, things break, and sometimes people die. That is par for the course. The people who sign up for it know that.

The attitude that a rocket explosion might put the whole effort in jeopardy reminds me of Homer Simpson’s advice to Bart: “If you try you might fail, so never try.”