If NASA\'s main goal is to STUDY outer space, it\'d be much easier and cost effective to do so with unmanned probes. It would not have to worry about crew safety, could eliminate the need for oxygen and thus trim down vehicle size, and obviously could venture deeper and longer than with manned ships. The only "science" we have done so far with the shuttle and the international space station is what, growing soya beans in near orbit to use as possible food on future missions to Mars? I\'m sorry, but I\'m not paying $5 billion for Martian soy milk. Not to mention, conditions for outer space can be emulated right here on Earth. That\'s why I suggested that NASA cooperate with private firms on manned missions. What will sending people to space do for anyone if there is only one agency capable of doing it in the entire world? If a space travel industry is ever to be made viable, it needs just that - the industry. SpaceShipOne was the first step in that direction, and with help from NASA and more nurturing from private entreprenuers, access to space for the masses could be made possible just as public flight was made possible by the Wright brothers.
