This week I have been spending a good portion of my free time culling my ebook collection and using calibre to catalog and convert books to ePub format. I’ve come across a bunch of classic hard SF books from authors like Heinlein, Clarke et al., and it made me wonder where has this country’s drive for exploration and science gone? When did we lose our sense of wonder and courage?

The picture attached to this post is Olympus Mons as seen from orbit. Where is the Edmund Hilary who will plant the flag on this peak?

Why do we hesitate at the thought of a one way trip to colonize Mars? Our ancestors did the same for North and South America, for Australia (albeit as prisoners) and even earlier in humankind’s history - we’ve been willing to go, knowing we may not come back. Why does 21st Century mankind lack that willingness?