As an American citizen who supports space exploration, I welcome the news that Japan has successfully placed a spacecraft in lunar orbit. The U.S. lunar program has been moribund since the last Apollo mission, and the benefits of lunar exploration, intellectual and practical, have been forgotten. I refer in particular to a helium isotope that is rare on Earth, comparatively plentiful on the Moon, and comparatively easy to use for generating energy by thermonuclear fusion. It is good that Japan, China, India and other countries begin to explore space. Thank you, Japan, for lighting a fire at America's feet.
david dahlbacka
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