Not everyone will understand this need for America to lead the world in space.

History will remember the inhabitants of this century as the people who went from Kitty Hawk to the moon in 66 years, only to languish for the next 30 in low Earth orbit. At the core of the risk-free society is a self-indulgent failure of nerve.

Russia perhaps is still entertaining the possibility that the moons of Mars might have access to ice or water.

Exploration is wired into our brains. If we can see the horizon, we want to know what's beyond.

It's real easy to manufacture what you think the people want to hear. But that's not very honest.

I shot down two airplanes in Korea, so I wasn't a slouch.

I believe that space travel will one day become as common as airline travel is today. I'm convinced, however, that the true future of space travel does not lie with government agencies -- NASA is still obsessed with the idea that the primary purpose of the space program is science -- but real progress will come from private companies competing to provide the ultimate adventure ride, and NASA will receive the trickle-down benefits.