Despite risks, humans should explore space: #tellusatoday

Our readers on Twitter and Facebook share their thoughts about manned spaceflight and NASA's priorities. Comments are edited for clarity and grammar:

Is manned spaceflight necessary? No. Worth the risk? Yes. I'd be the first to sign up should we start traveling to the moon and beyond. Manned spaceflight is just one more risk worth taking for our future.

— @scottacampbell

The whole manned space program should be ended. It only provides photo ops. If you want science, send a robot. The Hubble telescope has been much more productive than the humans sent into an environment where they don't belong.

— Mark McNeely

Actually, Hubble helps prove the worth of humans in space. It originally failed. Humans had to go up to repair and improve it several times.

— Dave Huntsman

No exploration is without its casualties. The more difficult, the higher the risk. Is it worth it? Heavens, yes!

— @BaileyPittipat

The space program should be discontinued. Too many domestic issues should be a priority: jobs, infrastructure and minimum wage.

— @JeffOstach

Man's destiny is the stars. And we should be planning how to make that happen. The first step should be forming a permanent colony on Mars. This of course isn't to say we should do everything we can to protect human life, but we shouldn't make the safety requirements so strict that nothing ever happens.

— Mathew Andresen

I think NASA should do science missions and pay private companies to launch them.

— Joshua Perri

Pioneers and history makers don't play it safe. No risk, no reward. People who dream know this.

— @724tony

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday on Twitter.