It is both, I believe.
First, there is of course the challenge of going further. I always say that a society that stops exploring is a society that stops progressing. If we want to progress as a society, we must try to go further. We do that with technology, with science, but it is more than that. It is a matter of nation-building, of inspiring youth, of educating. A program of exploration is also something that allows society to rise to another level. So, it is a challenge.
Secondly, I also believe that in some distant future--I do not know when-- some of our resources on Earth will not be sufficient anymore. Many other resources might be available on the moon, on asteroids, on Mars and perhaps in places yet to be discovered. We know that every time man discovers d new lands, new places, it gives us new things. It gave us things that were not expected or that were unknown. When Christopher Columbus tried to go around the world to find a new route to India, he discovered the something that radically changed our world, and I believe the same thing will happen if we continue exploring.
So, I believe it is a challenge but it will also become a necessity in the future. I agree with Steve about what we are currently doing in the US. Indeed, with our current technology, it would be very difficult to explore and harvest all the benefits of that exploration. We could perhaps consider that only as being a challenge. However, to really harvest all the benefits, I believe that we need new technologies and that we need to do things differently. I think that what President Obama has decided in the US is very important.
At the same time, Europe is also thinking about what it should do, what it could bring to this program of exploration. In Europe, they are aware that, first, space exploration is a matter of politics and of international cooperation and, second, if we do not continue to explore, the Chinese, the Russians and the Americans will do it. Many countries around the world will continue exploring.
One of the major concerns in Europe is to find a way to get everyone involved, everyone on Earth, not only the current partners which will probably continue exploring, but also the Chinese, the Indians, the Brazilians and even the Africans, who are all interested. The trick is making all those countries share a common vision, a vision of peace, a desire, as Steve mentioned, to achieve something together that will be an example for youth and for everyone on this planet. We have to find a way to build this program, and what role Europe can play in this process.
The current debate about this in Europe is very important, now that the European Union, with the new treaty signed last December, has its own role to play and its own competencies in space exploration. Even though we may not be as significant a partner, nor have as many leaders, or have the same means as the Americans or the Russians, I believe it is important for Europe--and for Canada too, I think--to contribute in sharing its values through programs of space exploration. You did that in Canada by affirming your values of diplomacy, your values of openness, your desire to get the best from all peoples. You also do that very well through space exploration. That is what Europe wants to do in the future.