PROJEX launched

There's nothing wrong with exploring Mars per se. If Mars exploration and
asteroid exploration were completely independent, then I would have nothing
against Mars exploration at all.

But funding for planetary probes is finite and Mars has already been
explored to a much greater degree than the minor planets. Dozens of probes
have been hurled at Mars, and there have been at least three successful
U.S. landers. The Mars Global Surveyor keeps beaming back incredibly
detailed pictures of the surface each day. And more Mars probes are
already in the works to be launched in the next few years.

By contrast, we don't even know where most of the NEOs are, much less their
compositions. There have been a handful of asteroid flybys, but mostly by
probes that were on their way to somewhere else. There has been one
landing on a NEO (Near Schumaker), and that probe wasn't originally
intended to do that at all.

There is and has been a tremendous imbalance in research money between that
spent on Mars versus NEOs. We know a lot about Mars already, and next to
nothing about NEOs. Funding is finite, and there is some flavor of a
zero-sum game. NEOs can potentially impact the Earth and kill us, but
Mars can't. And NEOs offer tremendous promise as resources for humankind's
breakout into space.

Given all of this, it is really tough for me to get enthusiastic about
further Mars exploration expenditures. It's not that Mars exploration is
bad per se. But I really think it's time to balance the scales, at least a
little bit.

Ron Menich

"Combs, Mike"

com> cc:
Subject: RE: [spacesettlers] Re: PROJEX launched
08/30/01 12:21
PM
Please respond
to
spacesettlers

...
But I'm all for exploring it, of course.
I think we can all agree that scientific exploration of Mars is worthwhile.
I only come into disagreement with people who insist that Mars is the
inevitable or sole alternate home for humanity.

Regards,

Mike Combs