It is currently only possible to be in space on the ISS (or in transit to/from there) right? Does anyone know when the last human space mission farther than Low Earth orbit was? And is any country seriously planning another one?
There are plenty of other programs with "planned" missions to the moon and mars. You can question whether or not they'll happen, but you can do that about SpaceX too.
Wow, whenever I am reminded that a human hasn't been on the moon since 1972 it just blows my mind.
I mean.. I guess it's probably easier and cheaper and safer to send a robot, but I would think that at least one nation would decide to flex their muscles in the "yea that's right, we can afford to do this" way. Oh how I dream of such forms of international posturing!
Space exploration had a lot to do with the development of military icbms. Now it has become almost commodity tech for developed countries so the need to show off is far less.
