We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
By refocusing our space program on Mars for America's future, we can restore the sense of wonder and adventure in space exploration that we knew in the summer of 1969. We won the moon race; now it's time for us to live and work on Mars, first on its moons and then on its surface.
Google the name Prometheus, and see how often it has been given to innovations in many different fields, notably science, medicine and space exploration. The fire he stole can be seen, too, as the spark generating all artistic creativity.
Looking down the road, space exploration and the benefits it yields - in medicine and information technology - should not be overlooked.
So, you know, I think the age of exploration is just beginning, not ending, on our planet.