Martin Rees, Britain’s Astronomer royal

Martin Rees, Britain's Astronomer royal and a Royal Society research professor at Cambridge University's King's College, argues that the future of manned space travel should be left to wealthy adventurers. He points to the fact that modern state-funded space disasters become national traumas, and argues that that gung-ho millionaires are more free to take risks because they 'don't represent a nation; [they] represent humanity.

I have to say that I am totally in agreement with this article. At the moment, all space exploration is in the hands of the government, and at present we make the odd journey every few decades, and then only for national prestidge, as with the Americans vs. Russians 'Space Race'. History shows us that, when the great explosion in exploration and trade took place many years ago, it was largely private individuals, taking risks and looking for opportunities, who lead the effort, built all the ships and set up colonies overseas. Space exploration is artificially stifled at the moment, with only the government allowed to build spacecraft and settle on other planets, using overly expensive designs that are too risk-averse. If space exploration was opened up to anyone, or any organisation, who could afford it, we'd be mining the asteroids and exploring the universe within a few generations.