We are, in fact, in the middle of a Cold War again. Also, our economy is far larger and we have launch technology that makes such efforts far cheaper/
> We are, in fact, in the middle of a Cold War again
Which political order are we in an existential battle against; Russian-style oligarchy or or Chinese-style state-controlled capitalism? It appears we're losing on both those fronts, any "space race" to Mars would further emphasize the point, AFAIAC.