Readers React: Astronauts aren’t explorers, they’re cargo

To the editor: Before we get carried away with moonwalking astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s vision of a mission to land humans on Mars, we should do a reality check. (“Buzz Aldrin on hand for moon landing 45th anniversary party in L.A.,” July 17)

Humans do not “explore,” do “space science” or do anything else useful in space. In human-crewed space missions, humans are essentially live cargo. They get deposited to the space destination and are returned by robotic space vehicles.

A mission to Mars would shorten the lives of the astronauts due to exposure to the high-intensity radiation of outer space and the weakening of their skeletal system and cardio-vascular system due to many months spent in zero gravity.

The cost to send a human to Mars would be hundreds of billions of dollars.

Al Barrett, Santa Monica