More wonderful writing from the weblog world after Saturday's Shuttle disaster. American journalist James Lileks hears the question posed on US radio: "'what can a man do on Mars that a robot cannot?'"
His answer? "PLANT A FUCKING FLAG ON THE PLANET.... And when he plants the flag he will use flesh and sinew and blood and bone to drive it into the ground. His heartbeat will hammer in his ears; his mind will spin a kaleidoscopic medley of all the things he'd thought he'd think at this moment, and he'll grin: I had it wrong. I had no idea what it would truly be like." (via Nickdenton.org).
