Some of us are looking at the stars

And may it always be that way:

Quietly and with almost no flourish, the space agencies of the US and Europe last month settled upon a new joint mission to the farther reaches of the solar system. They will mount a fresh exploration of Jupiter and take a closer look at its mysterious moons, Europa and Ganymede. Adventures such as these are an act of faith: they are devised by scientists who may never live to see the outcome, and based on instruments that will be out of date before they can be used.

From the Guardian. The fascinating thing is that Europa is considered a strong candidate for being inhabited:

The fundamental requirements for life seem to be water and a source of energy. So, for more than a decade, space scientists have been tantalised by the possibility that, beyond Mars, beyond the asteroid belt, and wheeling around the second biggest object in the solar system, there could be living things, sheathed in an enormous goldfish bowl, masked by dense, self-repairing ice, the creatures of a separate genesis. They proposed an orbiter to take a closer look: President George Bush cancelled the project in 2002, because the cost would be excessive. Seven years on, and with a new presidency, the great adventure can begin again.

It's tempting to say that this money could be better spent elsewhere, but although there are an awful lot of things that need attention now, just ending some foreign military adventures (ahem) could free up enough money to fund energy conservation, alternative power sources, build up healthcare, education, and other social programs to decent levels, and continue the exploration of space. We most definitely need to look towards the near future, but we can't ignore the far future either. And the value of finding life on another world would be incalculable.