hehe, Its really interesting to see how discussions can get derailed

I read the whole post again and I saw it go from life on Mars to Europa to a discussion on Communism to the Middle east (yeah, that has to come up sometime

)
Back to the Moon... I think space tourism could really open up space. I mean if we can make going to space profitable and fun for everyone we can eventually start channeling funds to exploration/development and colonize the moon.
Hope those Xprize guys do it soon... does anyone know when the first launch is planned for?
(better star saving up those 100 grand

lol