The only reason it happened was because we were in a race with the Russians. > By the time the SEI reached Congress, its price tag—conservatively ballparked at

The only reason it happened was because we were in a race with the Russians. > By the time the SEI reached Congress, its price tag—conservatively ballparked at an eye-popping $450 billion—alarmed key members of Congress, who spiked the initiative altogether. If China were preparing for a Mars mission, you bet the anti-NASA Republicans would suddenly do a 180. (I don't know where I stand on a manned Mars mission, but I do know it shouldn't be determined by kindergarten politics.)