[DanBC]

The current astronauts generate significant interest in STEM in school children. For example, Tim Peake took a bag of seeds to space. When he gets down they're going to send the seeds to schools along with some seeds that didn't go to space. Children are going to run experiments growing and comparing both sets of seeds.

Reaction from children is along the lines of "this is so cool; I want to work in space stuff".

[ekianjo]

I was not saying anything against having astronauts in Space. I was mentioning the point (or the lack of) of repeating over and over moon landings. You can still have astronauts in space without having to send them to the Moon. It's cheaper to keep them in the ISS, and you can indeed generate interest this way as well.

[garrettheaver]

I agree, I think the ISS is an utterly amazing achievement. In so many ways I think it really is a prime candidate for humanities greatest achievement so far.

In many ways you make a very valid point, the ISS is what we've been up to for the last few decades rather than going back to the moon and the research coming from it will be essential in preparing for longer journeys. But for all that I stare up and marvel at it passing overhead some nights, it just doesn't hold the same mystique of say the moon or further afield.

[nextos]

Yes, and ISS like other 2 incredible achievements (Human Genome Project and CERN particle accelerators) are international collaborations.

Even GNU is something inherently supranational.

This should teach us something, I think.