I came to dedicate my life to opening space to the average person and crafting designs for new spaceships that could take us far from home. But since Apollo ended, such travels were only in our collective memory.

What comes after the moon? I think you can guess: Mars.

There's no doubt who was a leader in space after the Apollo Program. Nobody came close to us. And our education system, in science, technology, engineering and math, was at the top of the world. It's no longer there. We're descending rather rapidly.

The pilgrims on the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock. To my knowledge, they didn't wait around for a return trip to Europe. You settle some place with a purpose. If you don't want to do that, stay home. You avoid an awful lot of risks by not venturing outward.

Somebody would think I was trying to get favored treatment because my ancestors had the name Moon. And that's a joke.

I'm sure that there are places in the deserts in Australia that could be similar to where we might want to go on Mars.

Many say exploration is part of our destiny, but it's actually our duty to future generations and their quest to ensure the survival of the human species.