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In the 1960s, the rivalry between the superpowers brought us into space, adding a whole new dimension to human life. The last frontier was open: between 1969 and 1972 twelve men (but no women) walked on the moon. No one has since. The space race revealed itself for what it really was: a political and military competition.

Space agencies, however, have not been idle and the exploration of the solar system has continued with probes and robots. Without politics, science has thrived. But the lack of government funding has opened space exploration to the forces of capitalism: the race has started again, with different rules and different players. 

For those of us who remain on Earth, space offers a spiritual dimension, and the search for answers to age-old questions. Colonizing Mars might not be the solution to humanity’s problems, but the promise of space—whether expressed in a tweet by Elon Musk or a photo taken by a NASA rover on Mars—keeps proving irresistible.

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