The idea of one day being able to land on Mars has come one giant step closer for mankind.

The idea of one day being able to land on Mars has come one giant step closer for mankind. After a series of earthly delays caused by gusty winds and a stray boat beneath its flight path, the deep-space capsule Orion has finally taken off from Cape Canaveral. Nasa hopes Orion will put live astronauts back on the moon by 2020, but the big dream is that they will land on Mars by the 2030s. There's excited talk in International Space Station circles of speeds of 20,000 mph, distances of 3609 miles and heat of 2200 deg C.

But do we, should we, care? After all, we got bored of the Apollo moon landings after number 17, even though Neil Armstrong's first landing in 1969 is still regarded as the greatest human achievement of the 20th century.

Some say that in the current age austerity such expense is an unnecessary indulgence. But pushing the envelope, as it were, of space travel is a testament to mankind's innate and unique brilliance, and as such should be celebrated. There's nothing wrong with reaching for the stars.