CONGRATULATIONS are in order for this government's decision to join the European Space Agency (ESA) funding for the AURORA project, although financial commitment does not occur until a ministerial conference in 2005.
AURORA is ESA's first step in human space exploration outside low earth orbits used by Russia (MIR Space Station) and the International Space Station (ISS) and Mars is its long term goal. It includes the Moon as an intermediate step.
All this is long term (decades) exploration entailing the inspiration of a new generation of scientists, engineers, technologists and thinkers in all beneficial aspects of human activity.
Many will argue that there are other priorities which require funding. But if the UK PLC is not at the cutting edge of science and technology, as an advanced civilisation we will be dead in the water and our prosperity will decline accordingly.
It has been suggested that we join the USA (NASA) programme but to do this would be to accept crumbs from the rich man's table and our leading experts will be bought out by America, while ESA will grow and flourish without us.
It may be that small scale commercial ventures such as those entrepreneurs/engineers' privately funded efforts, among many are S Bennett, B Rutan, D Ashford, A Bond and Branson, will grow to the extent that they will lead the field in extending our civilisation out into the solar system and beyond. This I believe is the destiny of humanity in spite of all its frailties.
R Blakemore
Gregory Avenue
Bolton
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