I hope they keep this “Gateway to Mars” sign in place as a constant reminder that only Mars is the ultimate destination, and the Moon is there only for “vehicle familiarization.” For more than two decades, the faith in Mars has bound this great team together in unity and powered
@SpaceX’s repeated successes. For many people, the recent developments feel like a collapse of that faith.
5–7 years may be okay, but any longer and we will miss the 2033–2035 Mars window, and getting to Mars will become harder and harder. 18 years is one generation. I often say that Inspiration Mars was one generation early. I didn’t expect our generation would end up repeating what Dennis Tito had experienced.
I still believe what
@rookisaacman used to tell us: we can do both.