"Most of these NASA people strike me as the kind of amateur astronomer/sci-fi fans we've all run across in high school -- drunk on the romance of space -- who have never really grown up. Incredible how excited they get about the exploits of their cute little robots."
Not just that, but in terms of the American mythology, space becomes THE NEW FRONTIER. So long as there is one, Americans think there's hope. That has been the formula so far anyway, befoul your world and then move west....oh, and print more money of course.
Joanna