Americans trying to go to mars in a unilateral manned effort without major international cooperation would be the most monumentally wasteful vanity project in human history. What is more the bragging rights would probably to mild and of short duration.
Going to the moon exhibited rocket and space technology that was believed to have major military implications in what was expected to be the imminent full militarization of the space around the earth.
Going to mars would exhibits no similar thing.
It would just be a trophy on a mantle brought, not awarded, at tremendous cost by a country whose economy is an increasingly small percentage of the world’s economy.
Going to the moon exhibited rocket and space technology that was believed to have major military implications in what was expected to be the imminent full militarization of the space around the earth.
Going to mars would exhibits no similar thing.
It would just be a trophy on a mantle brought, not awarded, at tremendous cost by a country whose economy is an increasingly small percentage of the world’s economy.
