We have a community here consisting of well, nerds?. Counting myself of course. What do you all think of this latest excursion into space? Can't be "Going where no man has gone before" precisely because we have been there. Can't be "One giant leap for mankind" exactly because no one will be placing a foot on the Moon or leaving the spaceship. So what is it?

I think it's great for a couple of reasons.

First it's a return (sort of) to our closest satellite and that is significant. In the stories we have seen or read there are countless instances of Moon colonies or bases. Space: 1999 and 2001: A Space Odyssey to name a couple and also Futurama where it's basically a destination vacation place like Hawai'i.

Second I think it's a more logical destination than Mars which has been floated. Start small, prove you can do it, then proceed with bigger plans. Probably won't happen in any of our lifetimes but at some point humanity might have to look beyond the Earth for whatever reason and the Moon is the simplest starting point.

Or, is it money wasted that could be put to better use?

Looking forward to hearing your opinions!

Ah, most of our government money is wasted. Might as well waste it on something neat.

Anyone else hear the Fantastic Four cartoon theme song in their head during liftoff?