Risking people in space

(from an ongoing sff.net conversation . . . )

Dave, not to give away too much plot, in STARBOUND there indeed is a mission to another star, the first, with a human crew rather than a cybernetic one.

It makes the stakes higher. In the story, it's necessary for the humans to put their lives on the line to demonstrate (to some aliens) how serious they are. Of course, this is an oblique comment on current space programs, US and others.

Like many people in this group, I'd rather see science dollars...