In the wake of the Columbia disaster, it is gratifying to see that the majority of political leaders across the spectrum have met the setback with an attitude of resolution rather than retrenchment. There is no doubt: America will persevere in space. Yet, it is not enough to continue the quest. We must win it. The American space program, begun so brilliantly in the era of Apollo, has spent the past thirty years without remotely comparable levels of achievement. We need a defining goal to drive our space program forward. At this point of history, that focus can only be the human exploration and settlement of Mars.
