U.S. Exploration of Mars and Search for National Purpose

If the letters in The Times recently concerning the President’s space exploration initiative are any reflection of the mood in the country, we are in serious trouble indeed. What shortsightedness! What if Columbus couldn’t sail until all the rats were cleaned out of the harbor? People seem to have the mistaken notion that we can’t afford to expand until we’ve solved all of our existing problems. This is rubbish. We will never solve all of our problems, and if we don’t expand we’ll have a whole host of new ones resulting from social stagnation, and the stifling of the human spirit of adventure.

There is a frightening trend in American public opinion, a belief that people can, and should, lead entirely safe (and therefore, entirely boring) lives. No thanks. Let’s stop picking lint out of our collective navel, and go out and do something important and exciting! We should go back to the Moon to stay, and then on to Mars!

TERRY C. SAVAGE

Harbor City