I would like to think that the Apollo missions were to manned space exploration as Marco Polo's journeys were to inter-continental exploration. In other words,

I would like to think that the Apollo missions were to manned space exploration as Marco Polo's journeys were to inter-continental exploration. In other words, an immensely difficult undertaking which was ahead of its time, but served as a proof of concept to inspire future generations. I'm not particularly an Elon fanboy, but I believe that Starship or another reusable rocket system will eventually lead to extensive and cost-effective human exploration of the Moon and Mars over the coming decades.