As ever I find myself inspired by Kerbal Space Program. I hate flying my kerbals anywhere, because irrationally I don't want them to die horrible flaming explo

As ever I find myself inspired by Kerbal Space Program. I hate flying my kerbals anywhere, because irrationally I don't want them to die horrible flaming explosive deaths due to some error or miscalculation on my part. Instead I nearly always send probes - it's definitely cheaper, and it's totally guilt-free in the face of my almost-certain screw-ups. That said, there's something deeply satisfying about flying my little green men somewhere, landing, and having a good walkabout. It isn't at all rational. I think real life is the same. There are plenty of places on Earth inimical to human life---Everest's death zone springs immediately to mind---and yet people travel to these places purely out of a sense of adventure. So too with space. "Because it's there" is a damn fine reason to go to the stars.