MISSION TO MARS? 

Seems of recent we're just back-peddling. Putting a flag on Mars has always been the goal. But it may not even happen, judging by the long and arduous journey just to get to this point. 

Put it this way by 1972 men had landed to the moon a mere six times in three years. Only accomplished at all by using the mighty Saturn V rocket. But the moon was merely to test its viability for Mars. And if unhindered we could have landed on Mars as early as 1975. 

Then Nixon cut Nasa's funding - pressured by waining public interest. Understandable if you consider the Vietnam war and the grief it had caused on American families. 'Why bother with space? We need to spend that money on improving Earth!' This became a stalwart mantra by oppositionists/voters. A fashionable trend of budget cuts ensued with every subsequent president. 

As a result the Saturn V rocket became a massive waste of money. The technology forgotten as technicians moved on, got old and died. 

And for the next fifty years mans space endeavours have been restricted to un-manned probes and orbiting spy satellites. Now we have a cloud of space junk around the Earth, looking like an angry hornets nest. 

Only recently has Nasa been allowed to continue space exploration with a view to putting colonies on Mars. And even that is tenuous depending on the whims of the next President and whatever war is happening at the time. 

So far an estimated 1.5 million military and civilian deaths have occurred already during the Russo-Ukrainian war. Not to mention the numerous other conflicts across our planet. All gearing to what is essentially a third world war. 

And so long was we're killing each other, space exploration will be limited to our own solar system at best. And then only to mine minerals to perpetuate more wars. And that is why nothing changes. And why Aliens  give us a wide berth.

And it sounds naive and laughable to even mention the 'A' word these days. But thats how bad things have gotten. We've been convinced we're the only life out there. Just like we were once convinced the Earth was flat and the centre of the universe.