Symbolic End of an Empire

[Griff]

He makes some very good points about the weaknesses in the Shuttle program. It should have been replaced or supplemented long ago. We can now expect to do pure science robotic missions, which will yield great information which China can use to colonize near space. I'd like to see private enterprise pick up the pieces but I don't know who would have deep enough pockets to initiate manufacturing and resource extraction. I'm not saying it can't be done, but as a nation we missed a great opportunity in space development between the fall of the Soviets and the rise of the Chinese. Maybe I'm just having trouble shaking the Cold War paradigm. Humanity is destined to expand, but maybe we can hope it'll less about flags and more about people.