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The author raises some good points, but I don't think his underlying theme is valid. Doing something just for the sake of demonstrating that "we're the best" or "we are different" is a complete waste of time and resources. In fact, you might also say that it's symptomatic of a culture in decline.

Space exploration is great, but it has to be done with an eye toward a practical objective. We didn't stop sending men to the moon because we lost our resolve. We stopped sending men to the moon because it no longer served any real purpose to do it.

“We didn’t stop sending men to the moon because we lost our resolve. We stopped sending men to the moon because it no longer served any real purpose to do it.”

Hokum. There was an absolute failure of political will by the Nixon administration. There was always a purpose even if you cannot see it now - it was there then and still awaits.

The underlying theme is that, if we do not go back and in a very big way, others will do it ... and that will end US national security or at least make it a total joke - with the Russians and the Chinese controlling all the Lagrange points and the moon. What will we have?

Don’t say Mars because that may never be possible as studies show that prolonged weightlessness causes sever vision loss and a trip to Mars may leave the crew blind. Therefore, we have to find some way to make that trip under at least 1 gee for the crew, else drastically shorten the trip through new or nuclear propulsion.

Manned Space exploration is not merely ‘great’ but absolutely necessary for our survival as a nation, as a species, and to generate worldwide again the tremendous sense of Wonder and Hope.