Of course the space program has helped us in killing the enemy with more precise targeting and global positioning devices. It was Marx who noticed that the means of production determine our ends and the nice Christians who always responded, technology in itself is neither good or evil it just all depends on how one uses it. Afterall, wasn't the material cause of Chivalry the saddle stirrup? As if Nathan Bedford Forest would have been nothing if not an excellent horsemen. Imagine what the Sioux Indians might have accomplished against General Custard at Little Big Horn if only they had read Marx or rode with stirrups. When archeologists dig in our rubble and garbage dumps they will say,"They consumed in large quantity like elephants and dinosaurs with little evidence of any human quality."

Mr. Scallion asks what's the point for landing on the Moon? Scientific exploration of it for one. Planning for it's permanent colonization is another. The justly earned right to rejoice in beating the Russians to it is a third. And all these as stepping stones for - Our Lord willing - the future colonization of the stars.

And ideally by private monies, not by either big government, big business or both together.

I agree with Chesterbelloc. The Apollo missions were and are heroic, as will whatever their successors are. And again, shame on all of you who think otherwise. The monies spent weren't wasted at all.

While landing on the moon was an impressive accomplishment and those who were a part of the space program deserve praise for their bravery and sacrifice, we must admit the "Space Race" was as much about the Cold War as much was about science. Billions were spent to beat the Russians to the moon, not "one leap for mankind." This is what drove everyone from the engineers to mission control to the astronauts themselves. Putting our flag on the moon looks nice for TV cameras and makes one feel good but to go beyond that, to try and seek some higher purpose for man will only leave you disappointed because nothing much changed after that or if did, only got worse.

Man has been able to explore the stars and the out edges of the galaxy and beyond with unmanned space probes. Our knowledge of the universe is much greater thanks to the Voyager and Mariner probes and the Viking craft and the Mars rover and the Hubble Telescope as much as been due to the Apollo and Gemini projects. And yet we wish to celebrate man physically setting foot on the moon. Why? What's the point? Just because it's there? Fine, pay for it yourself. The government doesn't subsidizes mountain climbing on Everest just because it's there, why should it subsidize moon landings or Mars exploration? Are their precious ores or minerals we can mine on the moon? Fine, pay for mining and transporting them yourselves if you can raise trillons in capital to do so. No one's stopping you. Want to live in colonies on the Moon and Mars, fine by me. You won't catch me recerating life on Earth in some artificial bubble millions of miles from home but hey, to each is own. But you will not pick my pocket for it. As the old song goes "Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. In fact it's cold as hell."

I look forward to the day more and more private dollars go into space travel and exploration so that every anniversary of the moon landing we do not have idiots like Charles Krauthammer lamenting our lack of space exploration because of man's noble need for discovery, which can be a violent and violating process as "progress". As I said, man has made many leaps in knowledge and science in more cost effective ways out of the Jet Propulsion Labratory where Cape Canaveral has given us duct tape, Tang and a footprint after billions spent. I know where I'd put my money.

And I'm sure Francis Xavier, who spent his life sailing to strange new worlds, would have laughed at the notion that life on other planets would somehow disprove Christianity.