"Because It Is Hard!"

Ray Bradbury reminds us that its time to explore again. We need to amaze this world with our endeavors beyond nation building--we need to parallel Columbus:

In this time when our freeways are frozen in place, space travel suffers the same terrible winter. Years have passed since Apollo 11, with only faint cries for a lunar rediscovery, then Mars and beyond.

How can we thaw this deep-freeze to unlock our vision so that we see the stars once more with the same fever that we knew that fabulous night we took the first Giant Step?

Let's look at the situation 500 years ago.

Columbus, financed by Spain's royalty, sailed for India. King Henry VIII, jealous, paid Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) to track Columbus. Francis I of France, thus provoked, hired Verrazano to do the same. Of the three, only Verrazano made landfall at what became Kitty Hawk. Incredible! Verrazano sailed west and five centuries on the Wright Brothers soared east to explore space and time.

There was, then, a confluence of kings who sent their ships for spice and gold. Today there is no such desire in our Congress or our president for similar goals.

Excellent justifications continue here.